Farming community welcomes progress at nitrates negotiations

FARM groups welcomed the progress unveiled yesterday by the Government in its nitrates negotiations with the EU Commission.

IFA president John Bryan said the Governmenthad achieved significant changes to the EU’s original directive, such as the continuation of the derogation allowing for higher levels of nitrates on higher stocked, intensive cattle farms.

John Bryan said: “The 5,000 farmers who availof the nitrates derogation each year will deliver the future growth of the sector identified in the Food Harvest 2020 strategy. The continuation for the pigs and poultry sectors of the phosphorous provision will ensure that these vital export sectors remain competitive.

“The changes in nitrogen application rates for spring malting barley are positive in sustaining the industry, but it should also be extended to cover our largest arable crop, spring feeding barley.”

The new directive will introduce a site-specific, risk-based approach for set back distances from drinking water abstraction points. Previously, setback distances were determined by the water abstraction rate.

These and other revisions to the content of Ireland’s second National Action Programme (NAP), under the Nitrates Directive, were unveiled yesterday by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith.

This new programme will run to the end of 2013.

Mr Gormley said: “The new Action Programme will support the environmentally progressive outcomes achieved under NAP1 and will continue to secure consistency with the EU Nitrates Directive.”

Mr Smith said: “The overall package will, in this economically challenging climate, assist Ireland’s agri-food sector meet its targets under the Food Harvest 2020 strategy on the basis of sustainable farming practices.”

However, the IFA and Macra na Feirme argued that the new directive will still limit the spreading of nitrates according to the calendar year rather than linking the regulations to weather conditions.

Macra president Michael Gowing said: “The Government have missed the opportunity to correct the errors of the past, such as farming to rigid calendar dates.

The current farming calendar dates for slurry spreading are totally impractical, rigid and unworkable from an environmental and economic point of view and are seriously impacting on the real farming calendar,” he said.