6,814 farmers applied to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for a nitrates derogation in 2021.
The information was released following a recent parliamentary question to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue from Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy.
The figures show that Co. Cork had the highest number of applications last year at over 2,100.
This was followed by counties Tipperary, with 862 applications and Kilkenny, with 515. Counties Leitrim and Dublin had fewer than five applications each.
The minister said that the over 1.7 million cattle were on derogation farms in 2021.
The following table shows the county-by-county breakdown for nitrates derogation applications in 2021:
County Number of nitrates derogation applications 2021 Number of bovines on nitrates derogation farms 2021 Carlow 93 25,267 Cavan 112 24,136 Clare 58 11,095 Cork 2,132 505,860 Donegal 94 29,127 Dublin Less than 5 576 Galway 152 35,726 Kerry 373 73,972 Kildare 70 22,145 Kilkenny 515 149,692 Laois 258 72,239 Leitrim Less than 5 520 Limerick 354 94,786 Longford 72 5,159 Louth 83 23,743 Mayo 39 8,276 Meath 171 70,096 Monaghan 252 45,171 Offaly 144 43,713 Roscommon 18 6,535 Sligo 12 3,312 Tipperary 862 233,683 Waterford 405 114,364 Westmeath 70 26,038 Wexford 383 98,815 Wicklow 87 25,391 Total 6,814 1,749,437
Under European Union regulations, the amount of livestock manure applied to land in any year, together with that deposited by livestock, shall not exceed 170kg of nitrogen (N) per hectare, or the limit of 250kg of N/ha for those who hold an approved nitrates derogation.
The minister noted that checks for compliance in 2021 with the Nitrates Regulations, including the derogation, are still ongoing.
“Applicants who fail to meet certain terms and conditions cannot avail of the nitrates derogation so the number of farmers that availed of a nitrates derogation in a particular year can only be confirmed once all checks for that year have been completed,” McConalogue stated.