199. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the abolition of milk quotas, if he will consider extending the current derogation under the nitrates directive to 300 kg per hectare per year, targeted specifically at smaller farms with the ambition to expand. [17963/15]

The EU Nitrates Directive and Ireland's National Nitrates Action Programme limit the amount of nitrogen from livestock manure which may be applied to land each year, including by the animals themselves, to 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per annum.

On 27 February 2014, after lengthy negotiation, the EU Nitrates Management Committee renewed Ireland’s derogation which enables farmers who meet strict conditions to increase this application limit to 250 kg of nitrogen per hectare per annum. This derogation was given effect by an EU Decision and is transposed into Irish law by the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.