The media handling of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on water quality has been criticised by a farm leader as "grossly misleading, unfair and not based on fact".
Jackie Cahill, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), said the farming sector was sick and tired of being singled out by the media for unfair criticism while the EPA had effectively ignored the numerous incidents of large-scale pollution by local authorities.
Mr Cahill said conclusions drawn by the report were generally encouraging, recording a high standard of water quality with improvements.
The ICMSA accepted the need for continued vigilance but the response from farmers had been unparalleled and bore very healthy comparison with the other sectors identified as contributing to any problem.
Mr Cahill said the EPA's emphasis on nitrates was outdated and their own findings showed that the high readings of nitrates were confined to one part of the country.
The Nitrates Action Plan, he claimed, would resolve the issue within a matter of years and farmers were no longer prepared to be the permanent "patsy" in the debate on water quality.
The Irish Farmers Association said Ireland's water quality remained high and was the envy of many of our European neighbours.