Water quality in Ireland has declined in the last five years, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency says the main reason for poor standards is due to agriculture.
In its latest Water Quality in Ireland Report, it notes that just over half of Ireland's surface waters are in satisfactory condition.
The EPA said that if the current level of progress continues, Ireland will fail to meet the EU and national goal of restoring all waters to good, or better, status by 2027.
Sinéad O’Brien, Coordinator of Sustainable Water Network, says intensive agriculture is putting huge pressure on water quality.
"It has been for a long time - the most significant pressure. It affects twice as many water bodies which is the next most significant pressure which is actually physical alternations of water bodies."
But Pat McCormack, chairman of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, says agriculture has embraced technology over the last number of years.
"This is a reflection of 2016 to 2021. Agriculture has embraced technologies in the past couple of years and in particular in 2022 such as low-emission slurry spreading."
The worst drop in water quality is in estuaries and coastal waters along the southeast and southern coasts.
