Any hope of 250kg/ha ruled out for many – focus must now be on 'securing derogation from 2026'
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue told the committee that negotiations on the derogation in 2021 were "particularly difficult", with a backdrop of increasing dairy cow numbers over the previous period, increasing use of chemical nitrogen and an increasing trend in nitrates levels in Irish waters.
Industry must prioritise "securing a renewal of our current derogation from 2026 onwards", as Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue ruled out further renegotiations with Brussels on the retention of the 250kg/ha nitrates limit for all farmers in derogation.
Mr McConalogue said that there is "the need for a clear focus on actions that will deliver improvements in water quality from now on so that Ireland has a strong hand to play in an application to renew the derogation, a process which must commence again in 2025".
