Any hope of 250kg/ha ruled out for many – focus must now be on 'securing derogation from 2026'

Minister told TDs and senators that the European Commission is "adamant and [has] given absolute certainty that there will be no amendment to our current derogation".

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".