IFA president Francie Gorman has said that Government’s plan to carry out detailed assessments on the expected impact of re-granting nitrates derogations brings immense uncertainty to farmers.

On Monday, the Department of Agriculture announced that the European Commission is requiring a change of tack in the State’s bid for another nitrates derogation, with the current one due to expire at the end of the year.

The new approach would require the State to carry out appropriate assessments on every catchment or sub-catchment with derogation applicants, before granting derogations to farmers into the future.

There are 46 catchments in the country with an average size of 150,000ha and 483 sub-catchments averaging 12,000ha.

It would have to be deemed that a catchment or sub-catchment would not negatively impact on Natura 2000 sites before farmers in the respective area could operate under derogation.

IFA concern

Gorman said that the proposed approach left the association “very concerned” and that even if the State was to foot the bill for potentially hundreds of these appropriate assessments, the exercise would be “logistically mind boggling”.

“We were advised by the Minister for Agriculture that this memo proposed that the Irish Government would make a commitment to undertake appropriate assessments at catchment or sub catchment level under the EU Habitats Directive, in order to improve our chance of securing the derogation,” the IFA president commented.

“IFA made it clear to the minister when we met him last week that we need far more clarity on this aspect of the Government’s plan, which is very significant and logistically mind boggling.

“Based on the minister’s briefing, we could be looking at doing hundreds of appropriate assessments around the country, even with the State paying for them, and this will cause huge uncertainty for individual farmers.”

Gorman said that the IFA is aware of issues raised with the Habitats Directive, as the association is a notice party in the legal case against the State taken by NGO an Taisce.

“However, this is a jump into the unknown for farmers, co-ops and processors and the rural economy.

“It is very concerning and will cause huge frustration and uncertainty on the ground.”

Move welcomed by an Taisce

Meanwhile, an Taisce have welcomed the European Commission’s imposition of more stringent requirements around the derogation approval process.

The NGO’s head of advocacy Dr Elaine McGoff claimed that Brussels’ increased requirements “should not come as a surprise to the Irish Government or to the farming lobby”.

McGoff said that Government and farming organisations have “long been warned of the risks to Ireland’s derogation given our rapid decline in water quality and the lack of environmental assessment for granting derogations”.

“To date, successive governments have failed to put in place contingency plans to deal with a potential loss or major amendment to the nitrates derogation, despite them highlighting that it is a key element for the ongoing economic future of Ireland’s dairy industry, with significant consequences for farmers if it were to not be renewed.

“That day has now come, and many farmers, who have expanded in line with Government advice, may face significant challenges in securing another derogation under these new rules.”