{"id":1337335,"date":"2024-06-26T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/?p=1337335"},"modified":"2024-06-27T12:59:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T11:59:58","slug":"epa-reducing-derogation-could-be-useful-to-reduce-risks-to-water-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightsail.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/epa-reducing-derogation-could-be-useful-to-reduce-risks-to-water-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Research: Reducing derogation could be ‘useful’ to reduce risks to water quality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Research has suggested that reducing Ireland’s nitrates derogation could be “useful” in reducing risks to water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was revealed in the publication of a research study ‘Towards a Climate-neutral Land Sector by 2050’ for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted by researchers at University of Limerick with partners in Teagasc and University of Galway.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EPA funds and commissions researchers in higher education institutions and research organisations to conduct independent scientific research on a diverse range of environmental topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research stated: “Land sparing through intensification may pose risks to water quality, depending on the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Reducing derogation limits for organic nitrogen loading under the Nitrates Directive (91\/676\/EEC) could be a useful mechanism to reduce this risk<\/strong>, and potentially also to curtail currently unsustainable expansions of dairy herds.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ireland has availed of a derogation since 2006. The current nitrates derogation, which allows farms to be stocked at a maximum of 220kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare or 250kg N\/ha, runs until the end of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has received a total of 7,238<\/strong> online applications for the 2024 nitrates derogation by the closing date on April 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research determined that “declining water quality is in part driven by agricultural intensification (high per hectare nutrient loading), especially in the dairy <\/a>sector, and threatens compliance with the Water Framework Directive (2000\/60\/EC).<\/p>\n\n\n\nDerogation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n