ICOS president Edward Carr highlighted that this new requirement represents a “significant and unexpected departure” from initial understandings of the Nitrates Directive and Habitats Directive when they were introduced in the early 1990s. He emphasized that Irish farmers and their cooperatives have diligently embraced environmental best practices, leading to positive outcomes such as a significant decline in nitrate concentrations in Irish rivers in 2024. The sudden imposition of new criteria is particularly frustrating given this ongoing national effort to improve water quality.

In response to these concerns, ICOS has sent a letter to Jessika Roswall, the EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, outlining their stance on behalf of Irish dairy cooperatives and their farmer members. The organization confirmed that a high-level delegation of co-op chairpersons will travel to Brussels on July 15-16. Their mission is to engage directly with Irish MEPs and the European Commission, including Commissioner Roswall’s head of cabinet, Paulina Dejmek Hack, to convey the gravity of the situation.

During their Brussels visit, the ICOS delegation plans to strongly impress upon the European Commission the detrimental implications of this new development for business certainty at both farm and processing levels. They will also emphasize the impact on generational renewal within the dairy sector. A key part of their advocacy will be to reinforce the benefits of Ireland’s unique grass-based dairy system and the verifiable progress made on water quality, climate, and ammonia emissions, showcasing Ireland’s commitment to sustainable dairy farming.