Charlie McConalogue tells Oireachtas committee focus should be on maintaining status quo and preventing further cuts in 2026
The intervention by the Taoiseach was hailed as a significant development by the IFA and by its president Tim Cullinan, who led a protest over the issue in Limerick on Friday. It also put the position of Mr Varadkar at odds with that of Mr McConalogue who has consistently said this week that negotiations could not be reopened and that the focus should now be on retaining the lower 220kg limit allowed under Ireland’s derogation.
Ireland is one of only three countries which gets a derogation under the Nitrates Directive, which is designed to reduce the impact of fertilisers on water quality throughout the EU. Ireland’s derogation has been more generous due to the grass-based nature of dairy and beef farming. However, the rapid expansion of the dairy sector since the end of quotas has resulted in almost a doubling of the herd size and increased use of fertilisers.
Ms McDonald said farmers had told her many times over the years of their very deep frustration at not having “a joined up conversation” with Government on all of these matters. At an Oireachtas committee hearing on Friday, shortly before the Taoiseach’s intervention, McConalogue reiterated that the battle now is to keep the 220kg limit for dairy farmers, which is due to fall to 170kg per hectare from 2026, the limit that applies in most states.
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