Ireland will be seeking a much longer timeframe for a nitrates derogation in its upcoming application to Brussels, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon told farmers in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, on Thursday.

“I'll be very ambitious about the ask for time through this process,” he told a water quality meeting organised by the Clonmel Show committee and well attended by local farmers.

“I'll make a very strong case that if Ireland goes through an appropriate assessment process or whatever element of it to address the habitats directive we end up having to do that that will give a level of certainty afterwards in terms of farmers that are screening them through this process.

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Certainty

“That we should not be back in a four-year process again, that a farmer that comes through that process should have a derogation for much longer and be given more certainty in that space,” Minister Heydon said.

Tipperary farmers including Tirlán board member Bill Carroll, IFA south Tipperary chair Pat Carroll and animal health chair TJ Maher highlighted farmers’ concerns about the uncertainty, financial insecurity and mental health strain imposed on farmers by the potential loss of the derogation and the sudden cut from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha.

Key meetings

There are four key meetings for Ireland in 2025, the Minister outlined, two of which have already taken place.

The first was in March, when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the improving water quality trends in Irish river water quality.

The second was in June when the Irish delegation told the Brussels committee how much work was being done by farmers and the agricultural industry in Ireland and about the cabinet sub-committee set up on water, highlighting that it is chaired by the Taoiseach.

Two more meetings of the nitrates committee in Brussels will take place in September and December.

“I would hope, by December's meeting, we will be in a position for the Commission to proposal forward to member states for them to vote on. That's a key point. The final decision on the derogation is voted by all member states,” he told farmers gathered at the Moyle Rovers GAA centre on Thursday.

The final decision on the derogation is voted by all member states

“The process we are doing to build up to all of that is to convince and reassure the Commission that in granting a derogation to Ireland that they are legally justified in doing so and that it is the right thing to do because Ireland’s farming grass-based farming system is different to the rest of Europe,” he said.