Charlie McConalogue tells Oireachtas committee focus should be on maintaining status quo and preventing further cuts in 2026
“I think all of us have to be aware and committed to water quality, and the farmers that I talk to understand that very, very carefully. I think in terms of the derogation, it’s a question of managing this matter and managing it well. And at Government now I would say that they are going to compensate farmers and we want to see what exactly that is going to look like.”
The directive means the maximum amount of nitrogen fertiliser allowed per hectare will fall from 250kg to 220kg per hectare from next year. “It will never have never been more critical that Government, industry and farmers all work together over the next two years to deliver water quality improvements and facilitate maintaining the derogation at the maximum limit possible,” he said.