Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan is not happy at what he regards as the politicisation of the nitrates issue.
“The issue is fast becoming a political football, which is fundamentally wrong,” he said
“IFA does not accept, at all, Minister McConalogue’s assertion that the nitrates issue cannot be addressed again until 2026.”
Minister McConalogue announced earlier this month that the commission would not renegotiate any part of the Ireland’s nitrates derogation, meaning that the derogation will be reduced from 250kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare to 220kg N/ha in large parts of the country (maximum allowance of organic N without as derogation is 170 kg/ha).
“As far as we are concerned the retention of the status quo remains a fundamental priority. And IFA will be campaigning with this clear objective in mind,” Cullinan said.
Cullinan was speaking today (Tuesday, September 19), the first day of the 2023 National Ploughing Championships.
“The Taoiseach has clearly indicated that he will formally invite European Commissioner [Virginijus] Sinkevicius to Ireland,” he said.
“The visit will provide the commission representative with an opportunity to gauge at firsthand the significance of the current nitrates derogation for Irish agriculture.”
Cullinan visited Brussels earlier this week, where he had a meeting with Sinkevicius.
“I made it very clear to the commissioner that an official invitation to visit Ireland is forthcoming,” he said.
“He inferred that this opportunity would allow him and his staff to assess the significance of the current nitrates’ derogation for Irish agriculture in a meaningful way.”
Sector support
Turning to other issues, the IFA president said that the needs of the suckler and sheep sectors remain priorities for the organisation.
“Asking suckler farmers to spend €12 simply to get €15 back by way of a subsidy makes no sense at all,” he said.
“There is also a clear need to increase the support available for the sheep sector.”
Where crops are concerned, Cullinan is mindful of the fact that the initial report from the Food Vision Tillage Group is forthcoming.
“The minister must fully recognise the work of the group and the recommendations they come forward with,” he said.
“Simply letting the report of the Food Vision Tillage Group gather dust on a book shelf is not an option. This has happened too often in the past.
“The minister must act in a meaningful way to address the current and future needs of tillage farmers.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payments are not arriving with farmers this week.
“Minister McConalogue must step in now and rectify this situation as a matter of absolute priority,” he said.