The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reporting of a 16% increase in river nitrate concentrations in the first of this year relative to the same period in 2024 is “disappointing” but should be met with a “measured response”.
That is what Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said in response to the agency’s Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator report published on Wednesday, which the minister expects will not have a major bearing on the European Commission’s handling of Ireland’s post-2025 derogation request.
“In terms of the water quality report from the EPA today, it is disappointing,” the minister responded to an Irish Farmers Journal question on the matter at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan.
“But we do know – and I don’t think this will impact the consideration of the Commission – that there are fluctuations in relation to nitrates levels in rivers and it is never about any one set of figures in any one day.
“So, when we had results that showed a 10% improvement in nitrates water quality, you would have seen a measures response from me.
“Similarly, when it is slightly the other way percentage-wise, you will still need a measured response from me.”
Weather ‘key’
“There are key indicators here around land management and agricultural practices but weather has a key influence here,” Minister Heydon went on.
“There is no doubt that efforts farmers have made have made a positive contribution to water quality and the leaders in that regard are our 7,000 derogation farmers who operate to a higher level of compliance and I continue to communicate to Commission officials as well that losing the derogation would lose that higher level of conditionality as well.”
On Ireland’s bid to secure a nitrates derogation beyond the end of this year, Minister Heydon reiterated his hopes to bring clarity to farmers “before the end of the year”.
He said that he presented Teagasc’s economic impact assessment of the impact a loss of the derogation would have on the farming sector to European Commission officials earlier this week and confirmed that Department of Agriculture officials will make a further presentation on Friday in Brussels.
This assessment found that 112,000ha of additional land would be needed to dilute current dairy farm stocking rates or that over 200,000 cows would need to be culled if stocking rate limits were to be dropped to 170kg nitrogen/ha for all farms, leading to income losses of over €40,000 for the average derogation farm each year.
“We are going through the real detail here in what is being presented,” the minister stated, remaining coy on what the State will report on nitrates issues to the other 26 EU countries due to send representatives to Friday’s meeting.
“I am not going to speak of what’s on the agenda for Friday because there is 26 other member states and they are presenting in this nitrates committee.”
Read more
16% jump in river nitrogen levels this year
Ireland facing 200,000 cow cull if derogation lost
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reporting of a 16% increase in river nitrate concentrations in the first of this year relative to the same period in 2024 is “disappointing” but should be met with a “measured response”.
That is what Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said in response to the agency’s Early Insights Nitrogen Indicator report published on Wednesday, which the minister expects will not have a major bearing on the European Commission’s handling of Ireland’s post-2025 derogation request.
“In terms of the water quality report from the EPA today, it is disappointing,” the minister responded to an Irish Farmers Journal question on the matter at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan.
“But we do know – and I don’t think this will impact the consideration of the Commission – that there are fluctuations in relation to nitrates levels in rivers and it is never about any one set of figures in any one day.
“So, when we had results that showed a 10% improvement in nitrates water quality, you would have seen a measures response from me.
“Similarly, when it is slightly the other way percentage-wise, you will still need a measured response from me.”
Weather ‘key’
“There are key indicators here around land management and agricultural practices but weather has a key influence here,” Minister Heydon went on.
“There is no doubt that efforts farmers have made have made a positive contribution to water quality and the leaders in that regard are our 7,000 derogation farmers who operate to a higher level of compliance and I continue to communicate to Commission officials as well that losing the derogation would lose that higher level of conditionality as well.”
On Ireland’s bid to secure a nitrates derogation beyond the end of this year, Minister Heydon reiterated his hopes to bring clarity to farmers “before the end of the year”.
He said that he presented Teagasc’s economic impact assessment of the impact a loss of the derogation would have on the farming sector to European Commission officials earlier this week and confirmed that Department of Agriculture officials will make a further presentation on Friday in Brussels.
This assessment found that 112,000ha of additional land would be needed to dilute current dairy farm stocking rates or that over 200,000 cows would need to be culled if stocking rate limits were to be dropped to 170kg nitrogen/ha for all farms, leading to income losses of over €40,000 for the average derogation farm each year.
“We are going through the real detail here in what is being presented,” the minister stated, remaining coy on what the State will report on nitrates issues to the other 26 EU countries due to send representatives to Friday’s meeting.
“I am not going to speak of what’s on the agenda for Friday because there is 26 other member states and they are presenting in this nitrates committee.”
Read more
16% jump in river nitrogen levels this year
Ireland facing 200,000 cow cull if derogation lost
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