L 60/42 Official Journal of the European Union 4.3.2015 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION (EU) 2015/346 of 9 February 2015 on granting a derogation requested by the United Kingdom with regard to Northern Ireland pursuant to Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (notified under document C(2015) 542) (Only the English text is authentic) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (') and, in particular, the third subparagraph of paragraph 2 of Annex 111 thereto, Whereas: (1) If the amount of manure that a Member State intends to apply per hectare each year is different from those specified in the first sentence of the second subparagraph of paragraph 2 of Annex III to Directive 91/676/EEC and in point (a) of that subparagraph, that amount is to be fixed so as not to prejudice the achievement of the objectives specified in Article 1 of that Directive and it has to be justified on the basis of objective criteria, such as long growing seasons and crops with high nitrogen uptake. (2)  On 14 December 2007, the Commission adopted Decision 2007/863/EC (3 granting a derogation requested by the United Kingdom with regard to Northern Ireland pursuant to Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, allowing the application of livestock manure up to a limit of 250 kg nitrogen per hectare per year, under certain conditions, on farms with at least 80 % grassland. (3)  On 24 February 2011, the Commission adopted Decision 2011/128/EU (*), amending Decision 2007/863/EC and extending the derogation through 31 December 2014. (4)  The derogation granted by Decision 2007/863/EC as amended by Decision 2011/128EU concerned 145 farms in 2013, corresponding to approximately 0,59 % of the total number of holdings and 0,42 % of the total net agricultural area. (50 On 10 October 2014, the United Kingdom for the region of Northern Ireland submitted to the Commission a request for Derogation under the third subparagraph of paragraph 2 of Annex III to Directive 91/676/EEC. (6)  The United Kingdom for the region of Northern Ireland, in conformity with paragraph 5 of Article 3 of Directive 91/676/EEC, applies an action programme throughout its whole territory. (7)  The Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources based on Member State reports for the period 2008-2011 shows that in the United Kingdom for the region of Northern Ireland for groundwater, all monitoring stations have mean nitrate concentrations below 50 mg/l and 93 % of monitoring stations have mean nitrate concentrations below 25 mg/l. For surface water, all monitoring stations have mean nitrate concentrations below 25 mg/L. () OJL375,31.12.1991,p. 1. (*) Commission Decision 2007/863/EC of 14 December 2007 granting a derogation requested by the United Kingdom with regard to Northern Ireland pursuant to Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural (OJ L 337, 21.12.2007, p. 122). (®) Commission Decision 2011/128/EU of 24 February 2011 amending Decision 2007/863/EC granting a derogation requested by the United Kingdom with regard to Northern Ireland pursuant to Council Directive 91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (OJ L 51, 25.2.2011, p. 21).