The Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP), which monitors the effect of farming practices on water quality, has been continued for another four-year period until 2023.

Announcing the continuation of the programme, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said the ACP is vital for his Department to assist in meeting requirements under the water framework directive.

“The Agricultural Catchment Programme is also crucial in the context of future reviews of our nitrates action programme and continued success in securing Ireland’s nitrates derogation,” he added.

The programme, funded by the Department and delivered by Teagasc since its introducion in 2008, has been used to evaluate the effect of Ireland’s nitrates action plan (NAP) and the nitrates derogation.

This is particularly topical at the moment, with the nitrates derogation set to run until the end of 2021, at which stage the fourth NAP will conclude.

EU requirement

EU states are obliged to monitor the effectiveness of their nitrates directive. Phase four of the ACP will extend beyond this remit of monitoring water quality and collect data on greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions and soil carbon sequestration, as well as extending the current baseline monitoring of water quality.

The Department says these new developments will significantly enhance the monitoring of impacts of agriculture on our environment and aid the Department in achieving Ireland’s targets under the Climate Action Plan.

The Agricultural Catchment Programme is also crucial in the context of future reviews of our nitrates action programme and continued success in securing Ireland’s nitrates derogation

Farm level

Phase three of the ACP ran from 2016 to 2019 with funding of €1.56m. It worked in partnership with over 300 farmers in six intensively farmed catchments.

“Following 10 years of intensive monitoring across the six catchments, results indicate a positive response to the nitrates regulations, ie reduced nutrient inputs, increased nutrient management and some evidence of reduced nutrient losses from farmland to water," the Department said.

“As a result, water quality trends are showing signs of recovery, although there are time lags between the implementation of measures and realising measurable improvements in water quality.”

“Overall, evidence from the ACP indicates that supporting farmers, through technical advice, to make better decisions regarding how they manage nutrient applications, offers the greatest potential to improve outcomes for water quality on Irish farms. This should deliver increased efficiencies for the farmer while reducing the risk of nutrient loss to water.”