The European Commission has proposed to extend Ireland’s nitrates derogation, European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath has said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Thursday, he did not say what conditions would be attached to a new derogation.
“We have now, as a Commission, proposed to extend the derogation under the nitrates directive for Ireland. That’s not the final step, but it is a significant step.
"The step will need to be approved by the nitrates committee, which involves the member states of the European Union.
The detail of that will be set out within the decision that hopefully will be formally adopted before Christmas
“If they approve it and they will consider it in the month of December, then it will fall to the European Commission to formally adopt the decision to extend the nitrates derogation.
“The detail of that will be set out within the decision that hopefully will be formally adopted before Christmas, to give certainty to farmers, to give certainty to agri producers in Ireland and that can also meet our environmental ambitions and the obligations we have for clean water in Ireland.”
He said that the European Commission recognises the “vital importance” of the derogation for Irish agriculture.
Commissioner McGrath said that “fundamentally, this is about the substance of protecting water quality in Ireland”.
Commissioner visit
The news comes following a visit by European Commissioner for Environment Jessika Roswall to Ireland earlier this month.
Speaking at the time, she said she was fully aware of the importance of the derogation to Ireland’s farmers and also to their need for clarification and away from uncertainty.
She said that for the sake of the EU, the Government and farmers, any extension to the derogation must be legally robust in order to provide “the certainty that farmers ask for and need while also protecting water quality".
On Monday night, Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) environment chair John Murphy told a Clonakilty IFA dairy conference that he was confident that the nitrates derogation will be retained.
However, he said that there will be more conditionality attached to it.
“It will probably be a more catchment-based ask because if you look at the way it’s progressing in the last few years, it’s the right actions in the right place,” he told the meeting.