At the end of December 2025, the European Commission announced that it had approved a three-year extension to the derogation granted to Ireland under the Nitrates Directive, with effect from 1 January 2026.
This decision, unanimously supported by the Member States in the Nitrates Committee on 9 December, is accompanied by strengthened environmental conditions.
Granted since 2007, the derogation allows Ireland to exceed the standard ceilings for spreading nitrogen from livestock manure, subject to strict rules designed to protect water quality. The Commission points out that these derogations must not have a significant negative impact on water or on Natura 2000 sites.
The extension takes into account the strengthening of the Irish Nitrates Action Programme. New targeted measures will apply in the areas most affected by pollution, particularly from 2028 in certain sensitive catchment areas. According to the Commission, the aim is to reconcile environmental protection with regulatory certainty for farmers.
Link to the decision: https://aeur.eu/f/k5p (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)