Nitrates Background Information
A link to the European Commission page on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive can be found here.
Regulations
Current Regulations and their development
In June 2010, the Departments (Department of the Environment and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) issued a consultation (406kb)   on a new nitrates action programme for the period 2011-2014.
Following careful consideration of all of the responses to the consultation, the Departments published a synopsis of responses (203kb) to the consultation , and completed a regulatory impact assessment (1.79MB) in respect of the regulations. The Nitrates Action Programme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (227kb) were made on 8 December 2010.
The Regulations came into operation on 1 January 2011 and replace and revoke the Nitrates Action Programme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006, the Nitrates Action Programme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 and the Nitrates Action Programme (Amendment) Regulations 2009.
2009 Regulations
The Nitrates Action Programme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (21kb) permitted the continued use of poultry litter field heaps to 31 December 2010.
2008 Regulations
The Nitrates Action Programme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (44kb) transposed the 2007 European Commission Decision into Northern Ireland legislation and came into operation on 9 June 2008.
2006 Regulations and their development
The first action programme in Northern Ireland under the Nitrates Directive was set out in the Nitrates Action Programme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (122kb) (2006 NAP Regulations). In the development of these Regulations and the first action programme the Departments issued a scientific report on the environmental aspects of the Nitrates Directive in Northern Ireland (1.79 MB) in 2002 and two consultation documents, in 2004 and 2005. The 2004 consultation (241kb) sought views on proposals for the protection of Northern Ireland's surface and groundwaters, while the 2005 consultation (870kb) sought views on proposed action programme measures for the protection of Northern Ireland's waters.
Derogation Decisions
In 2007 the European Commission granted the derogation until 31 December 2010 through Commission Decision 2007/863/EC. (1.71MB)
Following representations made by the Departments to renew the derogation, the European Commission renewed the Derogation in 2011 through Commision Decision 2011/128/EU .(705kb)
Derogation Reports
A combined report for 2007 and 2008 (3.59MB) was submitted to the European Commission in November 2009. The report includes maps for 2008 and 2009, monitoring undertaken since the derogation was granted and implementation of, and compliance with, the derogation controls for 2007 and 2008.
The 2009 Derogation Report (1.38 MB) was submitted to the European Commission in November 2010. The report includes maps for 2010 and details on compliance with the derogation controls for 2009.
The 2010 Derogation Report (4.41MB) was submitted to the European Commission in September 2011. The report includes maps for 2011 and details on compliance with the derogation controls for 2010.
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