Taoiseach Simon Harris told the Dáil today (Tuesday, October 22) that “we must be ready to pull together as a country” to retain the nitrates derogation.
He said it is the biggest issue farmers are currently raising with the government and warned that people must be ready to “don that Team Ireland jersey, the green jersey, to make sure we can retain the nitrates derogation next year”.
The Taoiseach also referenced new figures published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today which show that agricultural emissions were down 2.6% (-129 kt CO2 eq) in the first quarter of 2024 due to reduced lime application to soils and lower milk output.
He said this showed farmers “yet again stepping up and quite frankly, farming and agriculture making more progress than some other parts of our economy”.
Taoiseach
The Independent TD, Richard O’Donoghue, had earlier told the Dáil that “Fine Gael has done nothing but close down farms around this country”.
But the Taoiseach refuted this claiming that “my party and this government are proudly supporting farmers, rural Ireland and the agriculture sector” and that they were not “in the business of talking down to agriculture”.
“We need to be very clear that agriculture is not some ‘nice to do’ thing that people in the countryside do.
“It is the backbone of the Irish economy.
“It is the part that does not leave when times get tough. It is always here and it needs to be treated with respect,” he said.
Budget 2025
The Taoiseach also stated: “We took a number of decisions in the budget to further support farming and farmers, including making sensible changes to the residential zoned land tax and extending agricultural reliefs, which I do not believe every party in this Dáil would do.
“As I visit marts and agricultural shows and travel around the country, one of the biggest issues I have heard is the importance of a farmer wanting to know that there is a future for a son or daughter who might want to take on the farm.
“We do need to do more on that, including looking at retirement schemes and the likes, so we are in the business of listening.”