Farmers await decision on housing alternatives

15 May 2004: Farmers are still waiting for a decision from the committee set up to look at the alternatives to conventional housing of animals and storage of slurry. A decision from the group had been expected in March or April. However, the Department of the Environment declined to comment this week on progress to date and when farmers could expect decisions.

Colm Ryder, Heritage Engineering and Safety, OPW, Dublin, hopes that a draft paper on reedbeds will be ready in time for discussion at the international symposium on ‘Nutrient Management in Agricultural Watersheds: A Wetlands Solution'. This event is being organised by the Teagasc Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Wexford and the Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainesville, Florida. At the conference, Colm intends to describe the proposal for a nationally-agreed protocol for design and construction of Integrated Controlled Wetlands (ICWs) to treat farmyard dirty water. Experts from Ireland and America will detail experience to date on costing and management of agricultural dirty waters and site assessment procedures for constructed wetlands.

The symposium will be held at Johnstown Castle, between 24 and 26 May 2004. Those interested in attending should contact Eleanor Spillane at (053) 71269 immediately as places are limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.