Farmers are being urged to ensure they don’t incur a Basic Payment penalty through nitrates breaches.

Such penalties are largely due to stocking rate levels, and utterly avoidable, yet 2,000 farmers get penalised every year.

While this is a small proportion of all BPS recipients, it represents the single biggest cause of financial penalties that Irish farmers receive. Farmers can still avoid these penalties by taking action.

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The Department of Agriculture contacted 14,000 farmers by text whose profile showed them close to the limit. These farmers are encouraged to check they are not unwittingly in breach of the regulations.

Simple steps that will prevent a nitrates breach include exporting slurry during the year to less intensively stocked farms or renting extra land and submitting the appropriate forms to the Department of Agriculture by year end.

Another option is monitoring livestock numbers throughout the year and reducing them where there is a risk of exceeding the limit.

Interim N&P statements can be obtained from the Department’s Nitrates Section, Johnstown Castle, Wexford at 053-916 3444 or online at www.agfood.ie.