Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue is not expected to go before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture before making the case to maintain Ireland’s nitrates derogation stocking rates as is to the European Commission.

The move will mean that the committee will be left in the dark on key details of the Department of Agriculture’s argument put to the Commission on why the maximum stocking rate allowed on derogation farms should stay at 250kg nitrogen per hectare (N/ha) and not fall to 220kg N/ha, Fine Gael’s Senator Tim Lombard told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Minister McConalogue responded to the committee’s request for an update on the status of the mid-term nitrates review made in July by saying this week that he could attend on 4 October, which is expected to be after the submission is sent to Brussels.

“It is unheard of for a minister to refuse to go before a committee for nearly three months after being asked to do so, it’s completely nuts,” Senator Lombard said.

“We are looking at one of the most significant policy developments the agri-food sector is facing at the moment. The impact of a drop from 250 to 220 would be huge. It is very unusual from the Minister to say the least.”