Nitrates review can make case for ‘green’ Irish agriculture

A review of the rules surrounding the use and management of nitrogen and phosphorous on Irish farms is being led by Local Government Minister Simon Coveney and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed. 

It provides a real opportunity to reverse decades of declining soil fertility levels and ensure Ireland’s farming sector is well positioned to sustainably grow agri-food exports over the next decade, to almost €20bn, and to create 23,000 jobs in the sector.

Farming and the wider agri-food sector is the backbone of economic activity in rural Ireland, undertaken in every county and parish. It is also Ireland’s largest indigenous sector, providing employment to more than 300,000 people directly and indirectly. Despite wider economic challenges, exports from the agri-food sector have grown by more than 50% since 2009, reaching over €11b in 2016.