After 15 years of procrastination, a deal on the spreading of farm slurry and fertilisers under the Nitrates Directive is nearing completion with the European Commission. Government action has been fumbling, under pressure from the agricultural lobby.
And, while the new regulations will improve the situation, they are unlikely to meet our medium-term water quality commitments.
Having been forced to revise his own anti-pollution standards when the IFA threatened to boycott Teagasc and withdrew from social partnership talks, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche yesterday expressed satisfaction at the prospect of a deal. And, with an election on the horizon, he undertook to seek further changes which would allow farmers to spread nearly 50 per cent more slurry in certain areas. In this instance, the requirements of commercial farmers are taking precedence over the protection of the environment and water quality.
Even if a deal is done, fragmented responsibilities almost guarantee a level of non-compliance. The Department of Agriculture, rather than the Department of the Environment, will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed regime. Local authorities will be expected to prosecute farmers. Not until 2009 will the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) be required to produce an action programme for the protection of water quality. One thing is likely to change for the better though. The EU Commission regarded the proposed maximum fine of €3,000 under the directive as so derisory that it demanded a significant increase in the level of penalties.
Changes in the Common Agricultural Policy will alter the face of rural Ireland, with some farmers investing in intensive enterprises while others opt out. Rural communities must, however, be encouraged to grow through the development of tourism and other enterprises. And a high quality of life requires protection of the environment and clean water. As things stand, nearly one-third of our rivers are slightly or moderately polluted. That will, however, improve as the Government funds a greater number of municipal sewage treatment works. However, because agriculture is the main polluter of rivers and lakes, progress in rehabilitating our damaged waterways may be slow and uneven.
Under the Water Framework Directive, the EPA has been charged with cleaning up our lakes and rivers by 2015. But it will rely on information from the Department of Agriculture in relation to nitrates. If we are to deal effectively with water pollution, from whatever source, responsibility should be entrusted to a single agency.