EU Commissioner Roswall told that Irish farmers “making huge effort” on water quality towards continuation of Irish Derogation

Speaking following a ‘side’ meeting with the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessica Roswall, the President of ICMSA, Denis Dreannan said that he took the opportunity to outline to the Commissioner the huge efforts being made by the agriculture industry – and particularly, farmers – to improve water quality.

“I just took the opportunity to inform the Commissioner that we have continued a ‘whole-of-industry’ approach to improving water quality that ranges from farmers’ own initiatives to the ‘Farming for Water EIP’ and I did emphasise that there’s no complacency in our approach. Everyone concerned is working as hard as they can to a common end: improving water quality. I did, however, stress that that we do need to dispel as much of the uncertainty as possible if we are to lift the ‘cloud’ that’s surrounding farming at present and make farming and primary food production an optimistic and viable option for young people to consider”, said Mr. Drennan.

The ICMSA President said that farming at present is “practically surrounded by problems so fundamental that plotting a way forward is becoming difficult”.

“We desperately – both at National and EU level – need to start fixing what can be fixed and giving some degree of certainty and stability to the farmers. We simply have to allow them to look past a timeframe of three or four years and give them the confidence to commit to farming and a future in food production.   That reassurance has to come from the EU just as much as the Irish Government. We have to know that the Commission will acknowledge the measures already set in motion and the enormous efforts being made in Ireland – by Irish farmers, principally – towards better water quality and will balance the Commission’s requirements on that issue with the equal imperative of keeping Ireland’s family farm system viable and attractive as a career and way of Iife”, he concluded.

ENDS       22 October 2026

Denis Drennan
President, ICMSA

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Cathal MacCarthy
ICMSA Press Office