The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is set to unveil a system to “prioritise” urgent approval for Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) applications for slurry and manure storage facilities.
Minister Charlie McConalogue said following confirmation from the European Commission that it will not re-visit Ireland’s current derogation decision, it is important that farmers and their advisers prepare for the permitted limits from next year.
Minister McConalogue said: “Ireland is one of only three member states who have negotiated a nitrates derogation.
“Ireland’s allowance is the highest of those three. The current derogation decision requires a reduction from 250kg/ha to 220kg/ha in significant areas of the country from January 1, 2024, because there has not been sufficient improvement in water quality.
“Without that provision, the strong likelihood is that Ireland’s derogation would not have been renewed at all, or the allowance would have been lower from the beginning.”
According to the minister, both he and his department had held “detailed discussions” with the European Commission to secure an extension to the higher allowance to the end of the current period.
Minister McConalogue said it was now “critically important” to focus on improving water quality in order to support Ireland’s case for the renewal of the derogation in 2026.
The minister had yesterday (Thursday, September 7) invited representatives from various farm organisations to a meeting at DAFM head office in Dublin where he could “discuss both issues and listen to farmer concerns”.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) had picketed the meeting and a number of other farm organisations subsequently then also decided not to attend the meeting including Macra, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) and the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA).
This meant that the minister only met in person with the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) to discuss derogation issues.
Minister McConalogue said during the meeting he told the ICMSA that his department would “accept 100% of eligible tranche 2 applications into TAMS”, including those relating to slurry storage”.
He said he was aware that ICMSA was “very concerned that farmers were awaiting approvals for capital projects to improve water quality”.
But the minister pledged that in the next few days he plans to announce a system “to prioritise urgent approval cases for slurry and manure storage facilities, and urgent animal welfare related investments, required for the winter of 2024”.
Payment dates
Minister McConalogue also told ICMSA that in relation to payment dates for schemes under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that the payments for ANC Scheme (Areas of Natural Constraint) and the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) will be made later than last year.
“I would prefer to be in a position to make these payments earlier, but this is simply not possible this year.
“I was pleased to be able to confirm to ICMSA, however, that we would bring these payment dates forward next year when the new CAP has bedded in,” he added.