The retention of the nitrates derogation is key to a strong rural economy and its loss would be catastrophic, Thomas Ryan head of agri-sustainability at Tirlán has said.

Speaking at the Fertilizer Association of Ireland’s spring conference in Tipperary on Tuesday, Ryan said that the good work farmers are doing in terms of sustainability is paying off and water quality is improving.

“We’re in a better place this time round than we were and that’s what the science tells us. In June of last year, the EPA issued a water quality report and they talked about a stable water quality - we didn’t have stable water quality in our last review.

In that report 83% of the rivers assessed were classified as either stable or improving,” he said.

Derogation

The economic argument around the retention of the derogation, Ryan argued, is really strong and really stark.

“The loss of the derogation would be catastrophic. Why? Because as a co-op supporting over 19,200 jobs, with milk cheques to the value of €1.3m paid out in 2023, this is a real substantial powerhouse of the rural economy and it’s in jeopardy if the decision around the derogation goes against us,” he said.