LAST UPDATE | 15 Sep 2023
THE IRISH FARMERS’ Association (IFA) has said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will seek to meet with the European Commission to discuss nitrates derogation.
IFA President Tim Cullinan said the group’s delegation met Varadkar and various other Fine Gael members at the party’s think-in event in Limerick today, where they had a “positive” discussion.
In a statement, the IFA said it was told that Varadkar agreed to write to EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius and invite him to Ireland to meet with him, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and a delegation from the sector – or for the Commissioner to meet with sector representatives in Brussels.
“The Taoiseach was clear he understood the massive impact that any cut in the nitrates derogation limit would have on Irish farmers and the wider sector,” Cullinan said.
The IFA today met with the Taoiseach, Minister for Enterprise Simon Coveney, Minister of State for Farm Safety Martin Heydon and Fine Gael Member of the European Parliament Colm Markey.
Commenting on the meeting, Coveney said the IFA’s request of inviting the commissioner to Ireland was “not unreasonable” and “an obvious next step”.
He added that the decision to do so did not undermine McConalogue.
The meeting took place after the Minister for Agriculture stated in an Oireachtas committee hearing this morning that the European Commission will not reopen discussions.
McConalogue told the Oireachtas committee he understands farmers’ frustrations, but that negotiations cannot be reopened.
“The Commissioner made it crystal clear that he was not prepared to re-open the Commission Decision of March 2022, the formal legal instrument that granted a derogation to Ireland.
“He also made it clear that only three member states had a derogation at all, and that Ireland’s [derogation] was the most generous of the three,” he said.
However, the IFA has since convinced members of Fine Gael to attempt to reopen those negotiations.
Strong pushback
Farming groups have strongly criticised a decision by the Commission to reduce the nitrate limits from 250kg of organic nitrogen per hectare to 220kg per hectare – saying people’s livelihoods are at risk.
Ireland’s nitrate derogation provides farmers an opportunity to farm at higher stocking rates when they take extra steps to protect the environment.
At present, the derogation is available to grassland farmers on an individual basis and permits farmers up to 250kg of organic nitrogen per hectare, rather than the 170kg livestock manure nitrogen her hectare without derogation.
For example, a farmer must not exceed two dairy cows per hectare without a derogation but can farm at almost three cows per hectare if approved for a derogation.
Ireland’s current derogation is due to expire on 1 January 2026, and the derogation limit is due to reduce to 220kg per hectare on 1 January 2024 in certain areas – because the latest water quality results have not shown sufficient improvement, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Farmers gathered outside Fine Gael’s think-in earlier today, following a similar demonstration outside Fianna Fáil’s conference in Tipperary on Monday.
Farmers raising priority issues with Minister @HMcEntee & Minister @podonovan at today's protest. pic.twitter.com/fLPYmah0YM
— Irish Farmers' Association (@IFAmedia) September 15, 2023
Earlier, Varadkar said he was keen to speak to the IFA delegation. The Taoiseach said the nitrates derogation is being reduced because water quality “did not improve adequately”.
“I’m keen to talk to them about whether there is an opening for some flexibility around [the reduction] from the European Commission. I don’t know if there is, but we certainly want to explore that and then also what other measures have been put in place to help farmers manage the transition,” Varadkar said.
Cows being slaughtered
During a tense interaction, Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard said pregnant cows and heifers may be slaughtered next year if farmers have no other option.
“There is a huge welfare issue now minister, what are we going to do? The in-calf heifer trade has collapsed in the last two weeks – they’re down three or four hundred euros a head. You couldn’t give them away, nobody wants them.
Guys are trying to get rid of them and they can’t… What is going to happen next January, February, when there will be the potential for in-calf cows and heifers that have no other avenue but to be slaughtered?
Lombard added: “I am a dairy farmer… and I have only one way of meeting my targets. So, forgive me for being blunt here, but this affects my livelihood.”
McConalogue noted that Commissioner Sinkevicius has “identified some very limited scope, within the strict confines of the existing Commission decision, to interpret elements of the mapping”
However, he added: “The impacts of this exercise will be marginal. It would be misleading and wrong to suggest otherwise. My department has committed to concluding it by the end of this month so that derogation farmers will have the definitive information necessary to make their plans.
“This is certainly not the outcome I would have hoped for. It does clarify the situation however and I am committed to moving quickly in terms of engagement with stakeholders to bring clarity to farmers impacted as well as the broader industry as soon as practically possible.”
Water quality
Green Party TD Steven Matthews said he fully understands “the shock and the disappointment” felt by farmers at recent developments. However, he noted that water quality needs to be improved.
“The Nitrates Directive is not to impose hardship on farmers, it’s to improve water quality and especially the nitrate impact on agriculture and water quality.”
Matthews said it is clear that nitrate regulations have not worked to date in terms of improving water quality.
“Obviously, they haven’t worked to date or we wouldn’t be facing this, because we’re not seeing an improvement in water quality.
I fully understand the shock and the disappointment and the full anger amongst the farming community that I engage with as well. ‘How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why is it happening now?’
He added: “My interest here is having good clean water in our rivers, in our lakes, in our estuaries, in our groundwater, because that’s where we extract our water for drinking from and that’s where a lot of recreation takes place.”
Protests
The IFA held another protest outside Fianna Fáil’s think-in in Tipperary on Monday.
Farmers protesting outside the Horse and Jockey in Tipperary where the Fianna Fáil think in is being held.
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) September 11, 2023
They say Agri Minister Charlie McConalogue is not taking the matter seriously.
‘everyone standing here would vote FG/FF, I doubt very few will vote for them next time’ pic.twitter.com/dMv82uWYCP
Speaking at that demonstration, Cashel-based dairy farmer Colm Taylor told The Journal he and others feel “totally let down”.
“This government has totally let us down. Everyone standing around here would vote Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, I can guarantee you very few of them will vote Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil next time,” Taylor said.
Speaking ahead of today’s committee hearing, Cathaoirleach Jackie Cahill said: “Farmers, because of last year’s awarding of the derogation, took 31 different measures in order to qualify for the derogation.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Commission haven’t given these various and detailed conditions in relation to the nitrates derogation time to make an impact on water quality.
“That is what farmers are failing to understand in relation to this decision. There were very extensive conditions attached to the derogation last year to ensure water quality is protected and improved, but these conditions have not been given time to set in and see their impacts.”
Additional reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill and Jane Matthews
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