When asked if he thinks the future of the nitrates derogation is safe, Minister Niall Collins told the Irish Farmers Journal at Dairy Day 2026 in UL Arena that he does.
“I think the water and the river basin monitoring system – that's a condition of the current derogation – will show that our water quality is improving.
"It has shown that our water quality is improving. I'd have a very positive outlook as we move into the next round of discussion in terms of extending the derogation further when the current one expires,” he said.
Impact of CAP proposals
Collins acknowledged the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and emphasised it’s "not a done deal yet", while outlining the impact a 24% reduction would have on farmers.
“Any cut would be a worry and would have an impact right on the ground and in every farmer's pocket.
"As a Government, we’re going to do what we can to try [to] mitigate the impact of any cut. All efforts will be focused on trying to close that gap as much as we can,” he said.
Watch the full interview here:
