The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA), Denis Drennan has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Martin Heydon to fully explain his proposals to retain the nitrates derogation.

Drennan said the minister must "spell out in full his plans" in relation to Appropriate Assessment for nitrates prior to submitting his proposals to the European Commission.

The EU Commission wrote to the Ireland in June stating that it “must demonstrate compliance” with the Habitats Directive when granting farmers a nitrates derogation.

However, over a month since receiving the letter and after two meetings of the Agricultural Water Quality Group, Drennan said there is a lack of real clarity around the process, the implications for farmers, and the timeframe for implementation.

The ICMSA president said the question had to be asked "whether we were asking farmers - both derogation and non-derogation - to meet what are potentially impossible criteria"?

“Given the seriousness of the situation, it’s just not good enough to be told that the department intend to submit an outline plan to the EU Commission before the end of July but will not share details with the parties directly impacted: the farmers.

"The whole working basis for thousands of family farms has been undermined and these were farms already doing their utmost to meet the water quality measures insisted upon by the EU Commission.

"The same EU Commission that has now introduced a whole new ‘Habitats’ protocol that puts a question mark over the progress already made and leaves farmers unable to work out where they stand or whether it’s even possible to proceed," Drennan said.

The ICMSA president said that Minister Heydon "should immediately meet with the EU Commissioner for the Environment and after that engagement deliver a plan that works for water quality, works for farmers, and keeps farmers positively engaged in the process”.

Denis Drennan said that farmers have been engaging, have been collaborating and the EU Commission and the government "cannot keep shifting the goalposts while the ball is in mid-air".

“From an ICMSA perspective and based on what we have heard but have not seen, the current proposal from the minister is going to force farmers into a process within which many will not be able to progress through no fault of their own," he said.

The ICMSA president added that it appears under the current process, compliant farmers could be unfairly targeted, and this could not be allowed to happen.

“The government need to communicate in full with the farmer organisations, spell out in detail the process and how it intends to ensure that farmers meeting the current requirements can continue to farm at their current sustainable level.

"This is the most basic obligation on the Irish government, and it is one that is absolutely owed to the farmers, who deserve to know the facts before the national plan is submitted.

"The future of our centuries old and multi-billion Euro dairy sector is dependent on this plan, make no mistake about it," Drennan said.