The department of Agriculture's focus now turns to compiling hundreds of habitats reports. \ Philip Doyle
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Irish farmers were granted a three-year extension to the nitrates derogation on Tuesday after EU member states unanimously backed Ireland’s case.
The extension until 2028 will see the Department of Agriculture undertake the onerous process of completing almost 600 detailed appropriate assessments that the European Commission says are needed to determine whether the derogation is compatible with the Habitats Directive.
The outcome has been widely welcomed by both farming organisations and politicians, but concerns remain about the appropriate assessment process and the tightening of nitrates rules from 2026.
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Slurry storage
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has confirmed that the slurry storage requirements for dairy farmers will increase by 21% from 2028 and that derogation farm fertiliser limits will also be cut by 5% that year.
Derogation farmers in the Slaney, Barrow, Nore and Blackwater river catchments must increase the buffer strips on their farms when spreading chemical fertiliser from 2028.
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Irish farmers were granted a three-year extension to the nitrates derogation on Tuesday after EU member states unanimously backed Ireland’s case.
The extension until 2028 will see the Department of Agriculture undertake the onerous process of completing almost 600 detailed appropriate assessments that the European Commission says are needed to determine whether the derogation is compatible with the Habitats Directive.
The outcome has been widely welcomed by both farming organisations and politicians, but concerns remain about the appropriate assessment process and the tightening of nitrates rules from 2026.
Slurry storage
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has confirmed that the slurry storage requirements for dairy farmers will increase by 21% from 2028 and that derogation farm fertiliser limits will also be cut by 5% that year.
Derogation farmers in the Slaney, Barrow, Nore and Blackwater river catchments must increase the buffer strips on their farms when spreading chemical fertiliser from 2028.
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The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
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