Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
779. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has engaged with the European Commission on any flexibilities under the Nitrates Directive or other EU environmental rules that could ease fertiliser-related cost pressures on Irish farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36826/26]
View answerEnsuring availability and affordability of fertilisers is essential for European food security and economic stability.
At the AGRIFISH Council in March, I welcomed the recent amendment to the Nitrates Directive which is an environmentally sustainable initiative which seeks to offset the rising costs of fertiliser. This will allow Recovered Nitrogen from manure (RENURE) products to be considered against a farmer’s chemical nitrogen allowance rather than their organic nitrogen allowance. However, this amendment is limited to just three of the four manure processing techniques deemed suitable by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to create RENURE products. Therefore, as the Commission’s evaluation of the Nitrates Directive is still on-going, I have encouraged the Commission to use this opportunity to further amend the Nitrates Directive to allow for all forms of RENURE deemed equivalent by the JRC.
Rather than being limited to specific technologies, the Nitrates Directive should also provide for new technologies that may emerge, provided the end products meet specific criteria.
The geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East also continues to put pressure on fertiliser prices and will likely affect availability as the year progresses. From an Irish perspective, our fertiliser industry continues to rely on imported product and, accordingly, as a critical input cost, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) risks seriously increasing fertiliser costs even further. Therefore, I support the objective of a mechanism to temporarily suspend CBAM which risks the addition of a further layer of fertiliser cost inflation, and for this to be done in the most expeditious manner possible.
Finally, I also look forward to the publication of the Fertiliser Action Plan, and will continue to engage with the Commission through its implementation to ensure that the challenges and concerns in relation to fertiliser supply are addressed.
