MEP writes to EU environment chief to urge derogation extension
An Irish MEP has written to the EU Commissioner for the Environment to call for an extension of the nitrates derogation and "stability" for Irish farmers.
Midlands-North-West MEP Maria Walsh said that she wrote to Commissioner Jessika Roswall to call for a stable, long-term framework for the Irish agriculture sector.
The move from the Fine Gael MEP comes ahead of an expected vote on Ireland's next Nitrates Action Programme (NAP), in which Ireland is seeking to retain the nitrates derogation.
That vote in the EU's Nitrates Committee (a body of member state representative which advises the European Commission on decisions relating to the Nitrates Directive, the EU law which limits organic manure nitrogen on farms) is due on December 9.
Ireland's current NAP, and the current derogation, is set to expire at the end of this year.
Walsh warned that failure to extend the derogation could devastate not only farm families, but rural communities across Ireland.
According to the MEP, removal of the derogation could cost the Irish economy €45 billion between 2026 and 2035, with milk cheques cut by €555 million.
Under the NAP, farms can apply for a derogation to produce 220kg of organic manure nitrogen (N) per hectare on their farms, compared to the general limit of 170kgN/ha.
There are serious concerns from farm organisations and rural politicians that, if the EU Nitrates Committee and the commission reject Ireland's proposed NAP, then farmers will no longer be able to avail of that derogation.
Walsh said: "With just over a month until Ireland’s nitrates derogation expires, farmers are still in the dark as to the future of their businesses and livelihoods.
"There would be a national outcry if business owners in any other sector faced this level of uncertainty, so why is it acceptable for our farmers," she added.
"Farmers need answers, and they need certainty.
"Our agricultural sector is fully committed to improving water quality and meeting higher environmental standards, but they cannot continue to invest without long-term economic certainty," Walsh added.
The MEP claimed that Ireland's long-growing season and our grass-based systems create unique conditions that justify a continuation of the derogation.
"Commission Roswall saw this first-hand during her visit to the Durkan family farm in Kildare earlier this month, where young farmer Kayleigh has returned from Australia to carry on her family's work," she said.
"Her story reflects precisely what is at stake; if we want young people to remain in the sector, invest, and build a future in rural Ireland, then we must give them stability.
"Typical farm investments require repayment over seven to ten years, yet the Nitrates Action Programme is reviewed every two to four years.
"This disconnect between policy and reality creates financial risk and discourages investment in precisely the environmental resilience measures the commission seeks to promote," Walsh said.
"Ultimately, I am advocating not only for an extension of the derogation, but for a more predictable, long-term framework that that enables farmers to plan for the future with confidence rather than operating under recurring short-term uncertainty," she added.
