The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) will not rejoin the national partnership talks unless there was "a Government commitment to a partnership for agriculture" the union said today.
At a meeting of the union's executive council in Dublin today the IFA deferred it's decision to take part in the talks and instead mandated union president, Pádraig Walshe, to meet Governmnet officials to explore a commitment to an agriculture partnership.
The organisation suspended its involvement in the talks for more than two months over the Government's handling of the EU nitrates directive plan for Ireland. This plan will limit the amount of fertiliser farmers will be allowed to use and the times they can use it on farms to protect water quality.
Because the IFA believed the levels set were too restrictive and not scientifically based, they pulled out of the partnership talks.
Following meetings last week between the IFA and Minister for the Environment Dick Roche and Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan, some of the difficulties appear to have eased.
Pádraig Walshe said the latest nitrates proposals were a significant improvement on earlier legislation though they would still impose a huge cost burden on farmers.
Mr Walshe said "a successful Partnership deal would be a confidence boost for farmers and an acknowledgement that the country's economic achievements also benefit farm families and rural Ireland."
The IFA executive council decided that the final decision on participation rests with the president and the national officers.