An Taisce’s efforts to overturn the legal basis for the nitrates derogation will proceed to a second round of hearings, following a procedural judgement issued by the High Court on Wednesday.

In An Taisce’s case against the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which challenges the legal basis for Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme, Justice Richard Humphreys made a procedural judgment which set out the issues to be dealt with by the court.

Interested parties have been invited to make submissions on the various points identified in his ruling ahead of the court’s next sitting. The case is up for mention next Monday, 11 March.

Reacting to the judgment, farm leaders Francie Gorman of IFA and Denis Drennan of ICMSA welcomed the fact that the nitrates derogation will remain in place for the duration of the hearings at the very least.