The nitrates committee backed an extension of Ireland's nitrates derogation.
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Government has received the EU approval it needs to continue granting nitrates derogations to farmers for another three years after a successful vote of the nitrates committee in Brussels on Tuesday.
The committee is comprised of officials from each of the 27 EU member states whose backing is needed for the European Commission’s proposal to grant Ireland another derogation to take effect.
However, the fate of Ireland’s derogation beyond this extension is dependent on the outcome of an onerous appropriate assessment process addressing the habitats directive at sub-catchment level by the State.
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The approval follows the publication on Monday of the new nitrates rules that farmers will be subject to from 2026 onwards.
The sixth Nitrates Action Programme will see slurry storage requirements increase on dairy farms by around 20% from 2028.
The plan also introduces new requirements for derogation farmers with fragmented holdings, who will have to prove that slurry is spread on outlying land blocks if they are to avoid fertiliser allowance cuts on the milking platform.
Even tighter rules are expected for farmers in the Nore, Slaney, Barrow and Blackwater catchments.
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Government has received the EU approval it needs to continue granting nitrates derogations to farmers for another three years after a successful vote of the nitrates committee in Brussels on Tuesday.
The committee is comprised of officials from each of the 27 EU member states whose backing is needed for the European Commission’s proposal to grant Ireland another derogation to take effect.
However, the fate of Ireland’s derogation beyond this extension is dependent on the outcome of an onerous appropriate assessment process addressing the habitats directive at sub-catchment level by the State.
The approval follows the publication on Monday of the new nitrates rules that farmers will be subject to from 2026 onwards.
The sixth Nitrates Action Programme will see slurry storage requirements increase on dairy farms by around 20% from 2028.
The plan also introduces new requirements for derogation farmers with fragmented holdings, who will have to prove that slurry is spread on outlying land blocks if they are to avoid fertiliser allowance cuts on the milking platform.
Even tighter rules are expected for farmers in the Nore, Slaney, Barrow and Blackwater catchments.
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