Just under 5,000 farmers brought 598t of hazardous farm waste to 26 collection centres in 2015:

  • 46t of pesticides
  • 31t of veterinary medicines
  • 294t of waste oil
  • 32t of paints
  • 58t of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and batteries.

    • Every EU country must have a waste prevention programme, and Towards a Resource Efficient Ireland is the current national programme for Ireland, which the hazardous farm waste collection is included in.

    “Since pioneering waste prevention in 2004, Ireland has been recognised across Europe as a leader in this area,” said Dara Lynott, EPA deputy director general at the publication of the EPA’s annual report for 2015. “The projects funded by the Towards a Resource Efficient Ireland programme provide clear environmental benefits and savings. They also fit very well with the concept of sustainability by building strong local businesses and supporting vibrant communities”.

    Smart farming

    Last year, 650 farmers also took part in the Smart Farming initiative, the report states. This is a voluntary on farm resource efficiency initiative that focuses on ways to improve farm returns through better resource management and it continues to roll out nationally. For 2015 there was a targeted drive on this initiative in the northwest and west.

    The emphasis on cost savings through better resource management continues, with the key objective to identify at least €5,000 of on-farm savings – in the context of average farm income of €25,000. The pilot phase of the use of the Carbon Navigator will now be rolled out across participating Smart Farming farms during 2016. The report states that “many of the measures identified in the Smart Farming studies are symbiotic in terms of climate mitigation actions and improving farm profitability”.

    To read the full ‘Towards a Resource Efficient Ireland’ report click here.