Minister anticipates December derogation
At the Bord Bia organised European Meat Forum in Dublin, he urged the various interested parties, the departments of the Environment and Agriculture, Teagasc and the social partners, to work out a consensus for a satisfactory submission to Brussels.
"I believe that can be done and should be done as expeditiously as possible," he said.
Minister Walsh said the Nitrates Directive has been around since 1991. In 1996, the Government and the social partners agreed on a scheme of good farming practice.
But it was not possible up to now to get consensus for submitting an agreed action plan to Brussels.
In October of last year, the European Court ruled against the Netherlands.
That ruling brought the Nitrates Directive into the legal arena.
And in March of this year, the same court ruled against Ireland.
That meant that any transition arrangements were no longer possible and that the matter had to be dealt with on a legal basis.
"That means we have to address the 1991 Directive itself. But the Department of the Environment, the lead department in the matter, stated very clearly and in negotiations with the farming representatives that it had been intimated by the Commission that a derogation of up to 250 kgs per hectare is possible.
"It is my view that the only sensible and practicable way forward is to submit an action plan to Brussels and then in parallel seek a derogation of 250 kg per hectare, having the minimum of conditionality applying," he said.
Minister Walsh said about 130,000 farmers won't be affected by the present Directive, but about 10,000 of the country's best commercial and more intensive farmers would have difficulty. Securing a derogation of 250 kg would get them out of that particular problem.
"It has been intimated fairly clearly by the Commission that they are prepared to give that derogation. That is where we stand. We have up to December of this year to do that. So there are some months to go," he said.
Minister Walsh said the Commission has also made it clear that Ireland's single payments system and compensatory payments could be vulnerable, because cross compliance, and compliance with the Directive, are required.
