New fertiliser limits in bid to protect water supplies

New limits will be placed on the spreading of fertilisers and livestock manure on land in a bid to protect Ireland’s waters from harmful pollution, it was confirmed today.

Environment Minister Dick Roche said the new regulations would give legal effect to the country’s national Nitrates Action Programme under the 1991 EU Nitrates Directive.

In March 2004, the European Court of Justice (ECU) ruled that Ireland was not compliant with the Nitrates Directive after failing to establish a programme to protect water quality.

The Department said the regulations should ensure Ireland will not face further proceedings before the ECJ and avoid fines over the directive, which dates from December 1991.

“The regulations provide for a range of measures to strengthen the application of good agricultural practice countrywide and to promote and support sustainable agricultural development. They mark a milestone for the protection of Ireland’s aquatic environment while protecting as far as possible the interests of Irish farmers,” Mr Roche said.

The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2005 will come into effect on a phased basis over a three-year period from February 1, 2006.

The main farming organisations and other bodies have been involved in consultation over the nitrates programme since December 2001.

Mr Roche said: “Following consideration of all the submissions received in the latest round of consultations, a number of revisions have been incorporated into the text including several revisions to provide greater flexibility for farmers. The pig industry will be assisted in particular by a 22-month transitional period which is being allowed for activities licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency.”

The regulations include periods when the spreading of types of fertilisers on land is prohibited and restrictions on the amount of livestock manure applied to land each year.

Following submissions, there was a reduction in the buffer zones for spreading organic fertilisers from 250 metres to 200 metres distance from drinking water sources for large water supply schemes.