TDs and Senators will today examine the case for relaxing new anti-pollution controls on farmers, which have already sparked angry protests. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
The EU agreed the nitrates directive back in 1991 to try to reduce the high level of pollution caused to groundwater by agricultural fertilisers. Animal manure and slurry, together with manufactured fertilisers, leach into watercourses and are among the main pollutants of rivers, lakes and water supply.
The Environmental Protection Agency confirms that there is widespread bacteriological contamination of groundwater and drinking water supplies from livestock manure. Some 20 per cent of groundwater has nitrate concentrations above EU directive levels, the EPA reports, while 27 per cent of rivers are affected by eutrophication (excessive richness of nutrients).
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche finally signed the nitrates directive into law last December, 14 years after being first agreed at EU level.
The signing came only after the European Court of Justice found against Ireland in 2004 for failure to implement the directive. The specific reason was Ireland's failure to come up with an action plan to protect groundwater from agricultural pollution.
The next step would have been the implementation of heavy daily fines to force the Government to comply.
So, the signing of the directive into law and the production of an action plan to implement it were vital, not just to protect the quality of Ireland's groundwater, but also to show the EU that we are serious about it.
The action plan, which finally came into force last week, includes rules on the collection and storage of manure. There are mandatory storage periods in different parts of the country from 16 weeks to 22 weeks. Spreading fertiliser is to be banned in most of the winter months, and pig and poultry farms that do not have sufficient land on which to spread slurry must store it for 26 weeks.
Chemical fertilisers cannot be applied on land close to a surface watercourse. Organic fertiliser or soiled water cannot be applied within 200 metres of areas where water is being extracted for human consumption. All of this imposes costs and inconvenience on farmers. Farm organisations say implementing some of it would be just impossible.
The Government is now examining two possible ways of responding to farmer concerns. In relation to maximum phosphate levels, it won a temporary reprieve from the EU, allowing it defer the implementation of these limits for several weeks.
The limits were decided upon on the basis of scientific advice received from the State farm research and advisory agency, Teagasc. Teagasc has now agreed to review its advice, and Mr Roche has said that if the revised advice makes a case for alteration of the limits, then he will make that case to Brussels.
Secondly, the Government is to seek a derogation from Brussels on the limits set to the spreading of livestock manure on farm land. The current limit is 170kg per hectare per year - equivalent to manure from around 2.5 cattle per hectare.
The Government's proposal is to increase this to 250kg - allowing for around three cattle per hectare, a change particularly important to intensive dairy farmers.
The Department of Agriculture is also introducing grant aid for farmers to improve their slurry storage capacity, to help them comply with the regulations which prevent slurry spreading in particular periods.
It is also funding the demonstration of new technologies which would better treat manure and slurry to render it less harmful.
Today, officials from Teagasc, the Department of the Environment and Department of Agriculture will give evidence to the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment on the latest clash between those who would improve environmental standards, and those whose economic interests could suffer as a result.