The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 13 Sep, 2023

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 May, 2023 to 31 Aug, 2023

Specific Details Nitrates Derogation

Intended results That all efforts would be made to ensure that the current nitrates derogation would be maintained for Irish farmers. To request a meeting with An Taoiseach to discuss the IFA concerns relating to the potential effects to the agricultural sector and wider rural community, due to the additional conditionality around water quality trends included as part of the European Commission's decision to grant Ireland's current Nitrates Derogation. To ensure that the commitment made by the Minister for Agriculture, food and the Marine in late March, to engage further with the Commission, to seek to revisit the conditionality around the two-year water quality review is upheld. To request a meeting with An Tánaiste Micheál Martin to discuss the conditions of the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/696 of 29th April2022 granting Ireland a nitrates derogation. To highlight the flaws in determining water quality trends based on data in 2021 and 2022 alone. Analysing a water quality trend over a two-year time period is too short to capture an overall trend in water quality. To emphasise that measures introduced by farmers in 2022 and 2023 will not be captured in monitoring data and their impact on water quality trends will be unknown. To highlight that the prospect of reducing the maximum stocking rate under the derogation is already having knock-on consequences for all farming sectors. it is increasing the demand for land and is leading to significant increase in land rental prices which is having a disproportionate impact on the more financially vulnerable sectors, particularly tillage and drystock farmers. To demonstrate that the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) map, which outlined the regions that would be required to reduce their organic nitrogen stocking rate to 220kgs per hectare, is illogical and demonstrates the flawed basis for the mid-term review. To highlight how, in Cork County alone, the implications of implementing the reduction in the stocking rate on the farms in these areas would be very significant for the farm families involved.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Tim Cullinan IFA President, Sean Lavery IFA Limerick Chair, Stephen Arthur IFA Dairy Chair, Áine O'Connell IFA Policy Executive

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (6-10)

Event / Reception (1)

Email (11-20)

Social Media (6-10)

Informal communication (6-10)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Amii McKeever Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Anne Haugh Director of Services or Equivalent (Clare County Council)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Bill Callanan Chief Inspector (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Billy Kelleher MEP (European Parliament)

Brendan Smith TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Brian Leddin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Carmel Kirby Director of Services or Equivalent (Clare County Council)

Charlie McConalogue Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Chris MacManus MEP (European Parliament)

Christopher O'Sullivan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Ciara Shaughnessy Special Adviser (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)

Ciarán Cuffe MEP (European Parliament)

Clare Daly MEP (European Parliament)

Colm Burke TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Colm Markey MEP (European Parliament)

Darragh O'Brien Minister (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)

Darran Brennan Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Deirdre Clune MEP (European Parliament)

Deirdre Gillane Chief of Staff (Department of the Taoiseach)

Deirdre O'Brien Councillor (Cork County Council)

Denis O'Donovan Senator (Seanad)

Eileen Lynch Councillor (Cork County Council)

Erin McGreehan Senator (Seanad)

Fergus O'Dowd TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Frances Fitzgerald MEP (European Parliament)

Ged Nash TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Grace O'Sullivan MEP (European Parliament)

Helen McEntee Minister (Department of Justice and Equality)

Holly Cairns TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Imelda Munster TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jackie Cahill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jason Murphy Acting Director of Service (Clare County Council)

Joe Flaherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Killeen Councillor (Clare County Council)

John McGahon Senator (Seanad)

Kevin Dillon Special Adviser (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)

Leo Varadkar Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)

Leonard Cleary Director of Services or Equivalent (Clare County Council)

Liam Conneally Director of Services or Equivalent (Clare County Council)

Louise O'Reilly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Lynn Boylan Senator (Seanad)

Maria Walsh MEP (European Parliament)

Martin Browne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Carthy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Ring TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Micheál Martin Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)

Mick Wallace MEP (European Parliament)

Niamh Smyth TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pat Dowling Chief Executive Officer (Clare County Council)

Patrick O'Donovan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Paul Kehoe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Murphy Councillor (Clare County Council)

Philip O'Callaghan Special Adviser (Department of the Taoiseach)

Regina Doherty Senator (Seanad)

Ruairí Ó Murchú TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Sean Kelly MEP (European Parliament)

Seán Sherlock TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Tim Lombard Senator (Seanad)

Timmy Dooley Senator (Seanad)

Tom O'Callaghan Councillor (Clare County Council)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Violet Anne Wynne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Brendan Gleeson Secretary General (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)