Cork South West Senator Noel O’Donovan has welcomed then news that Ireland has secured a further three-year nitrates derogation, although it is as-yet subject to a vote of EU member states on December 9th.

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon confirmed today that following ‘extensive engagement’ with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, who visited Ireland in early November, that the European Commission have provide for a three-year extension to Ireland’s nitrates derogation, subject to a number of requirements including environmental assessments at catchment level.

Speaking with The Southern Star on Thursday afternoon, Senator O’Donovan said he had met the Commissioner Roswall on her visit to Ireland, and welcomed the ‘extremely positive’ news for farmers across Ireland.

Minister Heydon said that the environmental assessments would be a ‘massive undertaking’ requiring significant investment of time and resources.

‘Equally, I am today calling on all stakeholders to re-double their efforts to take “the right action in the right place”. We must maintain the momentum of action now to ensure that we see continuous improvements in the data for agriculture related water quality.’

‘Ireland has a very sustainable, outdoor, grass-based production system in milk and meat products and satisfies all of the conditions as set out in the directive to justify a nitrates derogation. My Department, in cooperation with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has been working diligently to provide all the necessary material and assurances to the Commission which were required to underpin the development of this proposal’.

The Minister added that this draft Decision is still subject to a vote of Member States, ‘and we have to respect the sensitivity and confidentiality of this process.’

‘Other Member States will now have time to review this proposal before it is due to be brought forward for a vote at the Nitrates Committee on 9th December. I should stress that this is an expert committee, and they will be examining the technical details of the proposal. My Department will continue to engage with European counterparts on these details.’

‘I will continue to engage with stakeholders including the farm organisations as we go forward.’