The removal of the nitrates derogation in Ireland “would inevitably be consolidation and larger farms,” the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine warned today (Thursday, September 26).
The nitrates derogation was the focus of a Dáil debate during which Minister Charlie McConalogue, delivered a strong rebuke to the People Before Profit-Solidarity TD, Paul Murphy, when he asked if the minister believed the “nitrates derogation overwhelmingly benefits a wealthier minority of intensive farmers”.
In response to the question Minister McConalogue told Deputy Murphy that “a trip beyond the M50, walking around a few farms, meeting a few farmers and going to the odd mart across the country would certainly help inform his approach and insight into this”.
According to the minister the average size of a dairy farm is about 90 cows and there is in the region of about 17,000 farmers.
Addressing the People Before Profit-Solidarity TD, Minister McConalogue said: If the deputy was to take himself to Cavan and Monaghan, he would find many farmers in derogation there.
“I am talking about farmers with smaller farms of 50, 60 or 70 cows.
“If we were not able to maintain our derogation, many of these farms would become unviable and unable to produce a full-time family income.
“The outcome of the removal of our derogation, which is what the deputy wants, would inevitably be consolidation and larger farms.”
Derogation
Minister McConalogue also told the Dáil that “there are good, valid and scientific reasons” as to why Ireland has a nitrates derogation.
“We can grow more crops and grass in this country, utilising more nutrients over the course of the year to grow those plants, than some other countries across Europe can.
“Those countries are much more arid in nature and do not have the same growing capacity. However, all of that is dependent on us improving our water quality and meeting the nitrates directive, which we and all farmers in derogation are absolutely committed to doing,” he added.
But in his response Deputy Murphy argued that the nitrates derogation “benefits big farmers and big agribusiness”.
He said: “People right across this country have a right to have input into how our farming is done and on the impact on our environment.
” I ask the minister to inform me. When the cut to the derogation rate was announced last year, he said that 7,000 farmers out of 130,000 family farms avail of it.
“By his own admission, only 5% of farmers are affected while 95% are unaffected. Despite this, he is going hell for leather to defend the interests of that 5%”.