Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan and Agriculture Minister, Michelle O’Neill have announced a joint consultation exercise for the Nitrates Directive Action Programme for 2015-2018.

The Nitrates Directive is designed to protect surface waters and groundwaters from the harmful effects of agricultural pollution and is implemented through an Action Programme of measures.

The current Nitrates Action Programme, which has been in place since 2011, must be reviewed by the end of 2014 and an updated Programme put in place for the next four years. In addition, the EU Derogation Decision, which allows farms meeting certain criteria to apply higher amounts of grazing livestock manure, expires at the end of 2014. Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to secure renewal of the Derogation which is particularly important for the local intensive grassland sector.

Minister Durkan said:

“The Departments have completed a review and held a series of meetings with the European Commission earlier this year. We have achieved a positive outcome to the negotiations with the Commission on the proposals for the next Programme. This is due largely to evidence from our water monitoring programmes since 2007, that water quality is improving and that farmers’ compliance with the Programme has been good over the last four years. We need to ensure that this progress continues.

“Working in partnership with farmers is key to the success of the Action Programme. The Departments have engaged with stakeholders during the review process and a joint government- stakeholder working group will develop improved and updated guidance material for the NAP 2015-2018, building on experience from the last two Programmes.”

The EC Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) requires Member States to introduce action programmes to reduce nitrates from agricultural sources entering the water environment and to review their action programmes every four years.

A Nitrates Guidance Working Group in Northern Ireland will be re-established in the summer of 2014. The Working Group will be co-chaired by NIEA and DARD and include representatives of key stakeholder groups, including farming organisations, and will develop updated guidance material to support of the 2014 NAP Regulations.

The NAP consultation was launched on 16 June 2014 and closes on 29 August 2014. Click here to access the consultation.