Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the EPA for the presentation. I also want to talk about the derogation. I think the EPA will get a lot of questions about that today. I come at it more from the perspective that the reduction of our water quality has been going on for quite a while. It has not just happened last year with the report the EPA produced. Unfortunately, we did not see in years prior sufficient measures put in place by Government through policy to reduce, and we are now at the point at which it will probably be a very blunt instrument of reduction of numbers of cattle. That is because all of those other measures were not put in place over several years. I would argue the Government walked a lot of small farmers in particular off a cliff when it came to those policy decisions.

Is there a risk of that happening again? This was an interim report and the derogation will come under review again at the end of 2025. The current change is the reduction from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha. All else remaining the same, and I know it will not because there will be more measures put in place, but all else remaining the same, has the EPA modelled to see whether the reduction from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha will mean that the derogation could meet the criteria set down by the EU by the end of 2025? My understanding is that there is a year lag time with nitrate run-off and the impact on water. Does Dr. Cotter think that, in 2025, we could be having a similar discussion and argument and difficulties being caused to the farming community because there will be a further reduction required by the EU?