MEPs welcome 3-year extension of nitrates derogation
Several Irish MEPs have welcomed the announcement that the European Nitrates Committee has extended Ireland's nitrates derogation for a further three years.
The European Parliament members made their comments after the Nitrates Committee voted in favour of the European Commission’s recommendation to extend the derogation for Ireland for an additional three years subject to certain conditions.
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher said: "This is a good day for the Irish dairy sector."
He added: “This is a positive step and one that will give certainty to farmers currently in derogation and to the wider agri-food sector, which employs thousands of people in rural Ireland.
“Of course, the conditionality attached to this extension will be difficult for some, but the alternative was an end to the derogation for everyone.
“This extension gives certainty to dairy farmers for the next three years and, ultimately, gives us the space and time to implement additional mitigation measures to reduce nitrate usage and seepage into our water courses."
The South MEP stated that the Irish government must provide funding for on-farm measures such as additional slurry storage capacity and low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment.
Derogation
Kelleher added: “National funding should also, I believe, be urgently made available for the roll-out of a systematic Anaerobic Digestion (AD) programme across the country.
“While not a silver bullet to the issue of nitrogen emissions from the dairy and beef sector, it is a part of the solution.
"AD is not a new technology, it is a proven method of reducing emissions and should be urgently rolled out across the country."
Kelleher stressed that securing the extension of the derogation has been a "national effort", from government to MEPs and to farm lobby organisations.
MEP Maria Walsh
Meanwhile, Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has said the extension of Ireland’s derogation is "well-deserved" and "much-needed" by Irish farmers.
She said: "It has come as an early Christmas present for our agricultural sector - but one earned through years of hard work, investments and political negotiations.
“While today is a great day for the Irish agricultural sector, it is not a day for complacency.
"Just as we learned during the Brexit process, we cannot wait until change is upon us, we must prepare now. Farmers deserve long-term clarity, not last-minute uncertainty.
“Preparations for the post-2028 landscape must begin immediately, particularly for farmers most likely to be impacted."
Walsh outlined that farmers in the Slaney, Barrow, Nore and Blackwater catchment areas need a clear pathway for the years ahead,
The Midlands-North-West MEP added that dairy farmers right across the country need support to plan, invest, and adapt.
MEPs
Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly also welcomed the European Commission's decision, saying that this extension is "essential" for maintaining farm viability and ensuring continuity for thousands of farmers who rely on the derogation to operate sustainably and competitively.
Mullooly also voiced concerns about the additional conditions introduced by the commission, and highlighted major uncertainty around forthcoming Habitat Directive assessments.
The Midlands-North-West MEP said: "When I was elected, I said that I would work to secure the nitrates derogation for Irish farmers - and today, that has been achieved.
"My focus now is ensuring that future regulations support farmers rather than undermine them."
Separately, Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen has said today's extension was far from a "foregone conclusion".
He explained: "It was farmers’ willingness to adopt new technologies and better practices that ultimately secured this result.
"Not unlike the EU itself, this process has proven that we [Ireland] are strongest when united - farmers, MEPs, government, opposition parties, co-ops, processors, and distributors - all those with a stake in the future of Irish agriculture."
