Ireland’s seas and rivers cannot continue to suffer due to Ireland’s nitrates derogation, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has said.
Whitmore, a former fisheries scientist and her party’s environment spokesperson, was responding to the latest water quality monitoring report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The EPA has warned that nitrate concentrations remain too high in many parts of the country, particularly in the south and south-east regions,” she said.
“ According to the report, nutrient losses from agriculture are one of the significant drivers for waterways not meeting their environmental objectives under the Water Framework Directive.”
“I have previously called for government responses to EPA water quality reports, but there has been no sense of urgency in dealing with this crisis. The sad reality is that environmental issues are not taken seriously by this or previous governments,” she said.
“There needs to be a major rethink on the nitrates derogation, with full support and advisory guidelines for farmers during the weaning off process to help them adapt to more sustainable practices. Increased funding for agri-environmental initiatives should also be allocated – as long as they are managed better than the existing ACRES scheme, which has seen unacceptable payment delays to participating farmers,” she said.
“The environmental destruction of Lady’s Island Lake in Wexford is just one glaring example of the damage being caused by the derogation – but this is happening in our rivers and waterways all over the country,” Whitmore continued.
“It is hardly surprising that Ireland is set to miss EU and national targets for restoring water bodies to good status by 2027. Continued government inaction is undermining Ireland’s environmental commitments – and our rivers and seas are paying the price,” she said.
