The sickening reality behind the Nitrates Directive
In Ireland, potable surface water is the main raw water source for drinking waters. Moreover, the quality of many of Ireland's amenity waters used for water abstraction and fishing has significantly deteriorated due to runoff from agriculture-related activities such as indiscriminate manure spreading on farm land.
Consuming small amounts of nitrate is not harmful. The problem arises in the case of infants of six months and younger (and also pregnant and nursing women) as they become susceptible to nitrate poisoning, because their undeveloped digestive tracts possess bacteria that convert nitrate into nitrite which is toxic.
Nitrite entering the bloodstream reacts with oxygen-carrying haemoglobin and forms a compound called methaemoglobin, which reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. This results in a condition known as methaemoglobinetina characterised by diminished oxygen levels and infants display signs of suffocation and death.
This of course is not of any concern to Irish farmers (aided and abetted by their farming lobbies) who continuously and recklessly allow indiscriminate discharges of nitrate laden manure to runoff into our receiving freshwaters.
Why is it that the farming lobby in Ireland has to take issue with regulations put in place to enhance and protect amenity waters, or is it that they are so blissfully ignorant of the consequences of their poor farming practices and are above the law?
Patrick L O’Brien
MSc (NUI) CEnv (UK)
Toll House
Western Road
Cork
