The entire State has been designated a nitrate-sensitive area by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, in a move intended to protect rivers and lakes against agricultural pollution.
As in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, regulations made by the Minister identify the whole national territory as the area for which an action programme will be required under the EU Nitrates Directive.
Details of the action programme will be developed over the coming months in consultation with farming organisations and other interests, in line with the agricultural chapter of the national partnership agreement "Sustaining Progress".
The action programme will provide for a range of measures, including regulations to strengthen "good housekeeping" rules for farming in all areas, to provide better protection for the environment by the application of good farming practices.
A limit of 210 kilograms per hectare per annum is to be imposed on the amount of organic nitrogen, such as animal manure, that can be spread on land during the first four years of the action programme and 170kg per hectare per annum thereafter.
The Minister pointed out that some 37,000 farmers participating in the Rural Environment Protection Scheme operate to standards which already comply with a maximum land-spreading limit of 170 kg organic nitrogen per hectare per annum.
However, in a major concession to the farming lobby, Mr Cullen is to seek a derogation from the European Commission for higher amounts, up to 250 kg per hectare per annum, to be allowable in certain areas "subject to appropriate conditions".
A spokesman said it was too early to be more specific as the areas where the higher limit would apply are to be identified following further consultations with the farming bodies, but they are likely to be "disadvantaged areas" with relatively poor soil.
There have already been extensive consultations with the farming bodies and other interests about measures to improve environmental protection in the agricultural context and the approach to be taken to implementing the Nitrates Directive.
The IFA and other groups opposed a "whole national territory" approach, only agreeing to it subject to a derogation being sought for poorer areas.
The directive only applies to organic nitrogen; nitrate-based fertilisers are not included.
Commenting on the regulations, Mr Cullen said the appropriate standards for good agricultural practice to protect the environment, especially water quality, "are well established and understood", having been drawn up and agreed in 1996.
However, he conceded that agriculture "is the last major sector which remains largely unregulated in terms of waste management", despite "the very large quantities of organic waste which arise in farming and the polluting potential of such waste". The Minister noted that agriculture had been identified as the dominant source of nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment of Irish waters, as well as being the largest single emitter of climate-changing greenhouse gases - mainly methane from cattle.