A Fine Gael senator has claimed that over 40,000 cows could potentially be slaughtered if the European Commission does not show leniency on the nitrates derogation.
Senator Tim Lombard was speaking in the Seanad ahead of the visit of European Commissioner for the environment Virginijus Sinkevicius to Ireland next week.
Due to water quality concerns, the EU Commission is seeking a reduction in Ireland’s derogation from 250kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare to 220kgN/ha from January in the majority of the country.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue previously confirmed that a total of 2,150 farmers would be impacted by the reduction.
Cows
Senator Lombard told the Seanad that the nitrates derogation “is a really significant issue for the agricultural community”.
“Unless we get some major changes and leniency in the next few days and weeks, more than 40,000 cows will potentially be slaughtered, and the majority of those will be in calf.
“It is a huge issue in many ways, such as economic and social. It is just wrong, and that is the key issue here,” he said.
“We need to make sure that this visit by the commissioner is taken full advantage of.
“I firmly believe we need to make sure that the commissioner looks in particular at the areas where we have proven that our water quality is sustainable in high stocking density areas,” Lombard added.
The senator pointed to Timoleague in west Cork where he said Teagasc “tests the water once every ten minutes”.
“It has proven that the nitrates level in that catchment area has decreased dramatically in the past 14 years because of the good management practices that happen on the farms,” he said.
Senator Lombard said it is important that Commissioner Sinkevicius visits an Irish farm “to see how we do things differently”.
“There is no other nation that does what we do regarding stocking rates and our actual practice of farming. We are what we are; we are a world leader.
“I do not think there is a knowledge of that in the European Union,” he said.
Nitrates
Meanwhile, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Tim Cullinan has criticised a letter sent to farmers by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
Letters were delivered to individual farmers yesterday (Thursday, November 16) advising them that they must reduce their nitrates derogation limit from 250kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare to 220kgN/ha from January 1.
“The timing of this letter when the EU commissioner [for the environment] is coming to Ireland next week to discuss this very issue with the Taoiseach is unbelievable.
“However, the real issue is that it will not be practical for farmers to comply,” Cullinan said.
“The way this medium-term review was set up, with a decision to be made in September 2023, was always going to cause issues on farm,” he added.
“Farmers made their decision to put cows in calf last spring. To suggest that farmers can comply with this reduction without reducing stock is a fallacy.
“Farmers will now be forced to consider culling pregnant animals. This is wrong and the minister, the Taoiseach and Commissioner Sinkevicius know this.
“They must address it when the commissioner comes to Dublin to meet the Taoiseach next week,” Cullinan said.
The IFA president described Minister McConalogue’s handling of the nitrates issue as “deplorable”.
“Firstly, the minister agreed to a deeply flawed mid-term review of the nitrates derogation. Then he made a half-hearted attempt to re-visit the issue with the commissioner, waiving the white the flag on a Zoom call.
“Now he has sent out these letters before the Taoiseach meets the commissioner. It will leave farmers feeling that they are just being used as pawns in a political game,” he said