The top civil servant in the Department of Agriculture has said he is “reasonably confident” Ireland can retain its nitrates derogation beyond 2025. Answering farmers’ questions in Limerick this week, Department secretary general Brendan Gleeson gave an endorsement to the derogation being renewed.
The top civil servant in the Department of Agriculture has said he is “reasonably confident” Ireland can retain its nitrates derogation beyond 2025.
Answering farmers’ questions in Limerick this week, Department secretary general Brendan Gleeson gave an endorsement to the derogation being renewed.
“I’m reasonably confident that we will have a derogation from 2026. I think we’ve done an awful lot of work; technically, politically.
“I think we’ve done enough work and I think the [European] Commission came away from its recent visit pretty impressed,” he said.
New conditions
However, Gleeson warned it is possible there could be additional clauses attached if there were to be another derogation.
“I can’t guarantee that there won’t be some new conditionality or something, if they give us an extension.
“The last time we were criticised for agreeing to a mid-term review, again this is real life and I want to give you a sense of it; if we hadn’t agreed to a mid-term review we’d have no derogation now.
“The fact is, we’re the demanders here, we’re looking for an exceptional arrangement under EU law. Some member states always oppose our derogation. Some of them see it as a competitive advantage,” the secretary general added.
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