Nitrate directive ‘unlikely to improve’

Leinster: The final action plan on the controversial nitrate directive is likely to show little change from the draft plan published by the Department of Agriculture and Environment last December, according to Mairead McGuinness, Fine Gael European election candidate for the East Leinster constituency.

She also revealed the EU Commission is opposed to any derogation above the legal limit of 170kg organic nitrogen per hectare (two dairy cows or equivalent per hectare) for farmers in areas where water quality is deemed to be poor.

“Teagasc research shows farmers can farm at much more intensive levels than two cows per hectare without any risk to the environment.

“But because of the appalling negligence of the Government it now seems that scientific evidence has been removed from the agenda,” she said.

Her constituency colleague-candidate Avril Doyle MEP, said the mooting of 170kg/ha, equivalent to a stocking rate of only 0.8 of a dairy cow/acre, is a disastrous proposal as it places a ceiling on farmers’ production capacity.

Ms Doyle urged the Government to announce, as they have in the North and England, that it is adopting 210/kg/ha as a minimum negotiating position, and that it will also demand a derogation for 250kg/ha for a transition period.

Meanwhile, the ICMSA has accused the Government of sabotaging progressive family farming by its failure to squarely address the nitrates directive, which it predicts will force over 13,000 farmers to reduce production to a level where their income would drastically reduce.