There was a significant reduction in polluting levels of nitrogen found in Irish rivers during 2024, which will support Government efforts to retain an EU derogation allowing farmers to spread higher fertiliser levels on their land.
Overall nitrogen levels fell, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned on Wednesday that nitrogen remains too high in “the southeastern half of the country” where intensive dairy farms are located, and further reductions will be needed there to bring them to satisfactory levels.
Nitrogen is a key component of fertilisers spread on land – as chemical fertilisers or farm slurry. If too much of it is in the soil, it runs into rivers and causes pollution. The EU nitrates directive allows some 3,000 Irish farmers to apply higher levels of nitrogen to their land in recognition of Ireland’s supposedly more environmentally benign grass-based production system.
Recurring pollution in Irish rivers, however, prompted the EU to tighten permissible levels that can be applied under the nitrates derogation and to issue warnings that it may be withdrawn entirely from next year. This is despite farming organisations saying this would undermine productivity, because less stock would be permitted on land.
Leaving Cert students to face oral exams in English under sweeping changes
Tech bros at war as Web Summit founders arrive at High Court
Of course Conor McGregor was best Irish person the White House could think of inviting on St Patrick’s Day
Yes, Amazon.ie will give Irish shoppers choice. But no, it’s not ‘good news for all’
With the EU relying on EPA monitoring, the latest indications are a boost to efforts to retain the derogation.
While the agency acknowledges efforts by the agriculture sector to reduce nitrogen in its “early insights nitrogen indicator” for 2024, it added that “ongoing and sustained actions will be needed to reduce nutrient levels so that the ecological health of our waters can improve”.
The indicator monitors data at 20 “major and representative” rivers.
“Agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers, and there is significant action under way within the sector to improve water quality. It is therefore very welcome to see these early signs of improvement,” said Dr Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment.
“It is important that the sector builds on this momentum and continues to implement actions to reduce nutrient losses in a targeted way,” she added.
The EPA will publish its assessment of water quality for 2019–2024 later this year. This will combine critical indicator data on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in water bodies with the biological quality monitoring data on fish, aquatic insects and plants, to give a comprehensive assessment of all waters.
[ Decline in nitrate levels and sewage pollution found in Irish coastal areasOpens in new window ]
EPA programme manager Jenny Deakin added: “It is very positive to see this improvement in nitrogen levels in 2024, following a period of little positive change in recent years.”
Because of recurring high levels in the southeast, further actions would be necessary to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus losses into water bodies to levels which will support good ecological health in them, she said. “The ecology will not improve until nutrient levels are reduced in the areas where they are elevated.”
