Irish Farmers Journal Interactive

15th December 2001

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Irish Farmers' Journal

Row over new fertiliser and stock curbs

By Des Maguire and Paul Mooney

THE Minister for the Environment Noel Dempsey is understood to be on the point of declaring the whole country a "Nitrate Vulnerable Zone" under the EU Nitrates Directive before Christmas.

This will impact directly on farmers incomes through new compulsory stocking rate restrictions, curbs on fertiliser application and further demands on farmers for greater manure storage capacity.

The IFA stressed this week that no nitrate vulnerable zones should be designated until there has been proper consultation with farmers and agreement on any measures to regulate farming activities within the designated zones.

As revealed exclusively in the Journal two weeks ago the Department of the Environment has been considering two alternatives to fulfil its obligations under the Directive - the designation of extensive catchment areas along the country's major rivers or the designation of the whole country.

Senior IFA officials were in phone contact with Department officials on the zoning question this week who indicated that their preferred option is the designation of the whole country as an NVZ.

Even if the Minister opts for the designation of catchment areas along the country's major rivers huge tracts of the country will be involved in the north-east, east, south-east and southern parts of the country.

Farming in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone will probably mean:

A stocking rate of one livestock unit per acre with a provision of 0.8 livestock units per acre if there is no improvement in water quality within 4 years.

It will restrict the total amount of organic nitrogen coming from grazing animals and applied slurry to 168 units of nitrogen per acre. Again there is provision for this to be cut to 136 units of nitrogen within four years if there is no improvement in water quality.

A likely cut in REPS payments. REPS payments cannot compensate farmers for works that are mandatory under either EU or national law.

For farmers who are not in REPS the installation or upgrading of on-farm slurry storage facilities. It has been estimated that this could involve investments of up to £1.6 billion, calculated on the basis of 40,000 farmers having to spend an average of £40,000.

All farmers will be compelled to keep a farm nutrient plan. REPS farmers will not be required to generate a second plan - their own nutrient management plan will suffice.

Once the designations are announced by the Minister action plans will have to be devised next year and it could be 2003 before these plans are implemented.

The chairman of the IFA's environment committee Francis Fanning has sought an urgent meeting with Minister Dempsey and has demanded that NVZ designation should not proceed without proper consultation and agreement with farmers.

"I am concerned that NVZ status will be based on incomplete and misinterpreted environmental date which will result in major increases in the already heavy burden or regulation on farmers. There has been no proper consultation on the basis for designation of NVZs or the extent of any designations that the Minister is considering to date," he said.

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