Macra has called for the "protection of the family farm model" along with generational renewal in nitrates derogation renegotiations.

Macra said that there is a "potential avalanche of developments on the horizon" for derogation farmers, particularly following the announcement that Ireland “must demonstrate compliance” with the Habitats Directive when granting farmers a nitrates derogation.

Macra president Josephine O'Neill said that this comes at a time "when the family farm model is already under pressure from layers of compliance, and the additionality of measures to be implemented at the family farm level, notwithstanding any additional future burdens".

According to Macra, the EU Commission is "championing simplification, freedom to farm and protecting diversity of farm models across Europe - while at the same time throwing down the gauntlet to both the Departments of Agriculture and Housing to layer more complexity for farms".

Macra fears this "greater compliance and additionality" could potentially "drive farm families out of business and further impact generational renewal".  

The new derogation process would "impact the viability of some of our family farms, stripping away the opportunity for succession within these family businesses and reducing their ability to provide a livelihood for the next generation", Macra has warned.

"Farmers, especially young farmers, have upskilled and embraced many new practices to help improve water quality, which is now trending favourably in the right direction," the young farmer organisation said.

"This new proposed development of layering more directives on our family farms' ability to secure derogation could be the straw that breaks the intergenerational family farm model for many small- to medium-sized farms relying on derogation."

Macra's president said that if these new rules come into effect, "there will be nothing left for farmers to pass on to the next generation, as this will have a direct impact on the family farm model".

"To end up with a scenario where nitrates derogation will be reliant on Appropriate Assessment of the closest water catchment to a farm would provide little to no security for individual farmers, especially young farmers," Macra said.

"We are in a situation where we must proceed with caution."

Macra added that this is a "critical time" for defending the sustainability of Ireland's family farm model and "demonstrating our progress on the environment and our unique circumstances and grass-based system to the EU Commission".