As outlined on the first page of this Focus supplement, the future direction of the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and the availability of the nitrates derogation in its current form will be dependent on demonstrating that current measures are working. The deterioration in water quality outlined in the NAP must be reversed for this to happen.
There are a multitude of factors that can influence water quality, and as such, Ireland’s NAP has a strong focus in ensuring that science guides policy changes. The Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) is the vehicle designed to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures. The programme is operated by Teagasc and funded by the Department of Agriculture.
It has been in existence for over 10 years at this stage and the core element of the ACP is working in partnership with 300 farmers across six intensively farmed catchments. Research work is carried out rigorously across these areas, with the outcomes of this research providing valuable insights regarding processes that determine the effect of agricultural activity on water quality in the catchment areas.
The document highlights that evidence from the ACP indicates that supporting farmers to make better decisions regarding how nutrient applications are managed is likely to be the single area with the greatest potential to improve outcomes for water quality. This, it says, will deliver better profits while also reducing nutrient loss to water.
Key messages
The NAP document highlights four key messages to-date from the ACP. These are detailed as follows;
Ireland’s landscape is heterogeneous (diverse in nature) in terms of factors controlling nitrogen and phosphorus transfer pathways, transformation processes and timing of delivery. The influence of soil type, subsoil and geology on nutrient loss to water can override source pressures at the farm scale. At catchment scale (around 10km2), the link between nutrient source pressures and nutrients monitored in the stream water was most obvious when critical source areas were identified. Weather plays a more important role in temporal nutrient transport than farm practice changes. The influences of weather shifts were different for each physical setting. Both long-term weather shifts and short-term offsets need consideration.Importance of closed period
The merit of the ‘closed period’, or the timeframe where the application of nutrients to farmland is prohibited, has long been a bone of contention among farmers. The NAP outlines that the closed period and storage period for livestock manures are critical components in minimising nitrogen and phosphorus loss to water.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are both major elements essential for plant growth, but if not absorbed by soil or captured by growing plants, they are available for potential loss to water. These two major elements differ in terms of how they are lost to water.
The document states: “Nitrate does not bind to clay particles and is easily dissolved in water percolating through the soil.
“Nitrogen from organic manures is vulnerable to loss during the closed period as there is little crop growth to take nitrogen from soil solution and moisture in saturated soils will readily carry dissolved nitrogen away below the root zone.”
In contrast, it says: “Phosphorous is usually lost via surface runoff when soils are saturated and rainfall amounts exceed the ability of soils to soak up the amount of water falling. Soil can ‘bind’ and hold onto phosphorus, but does not get the opportunity to do so when it is carried in rain runoff across the surface pathway to a watercourse.”
Research carried out through the ACP highlights that there is a greater risk of these losses occurring in the closed period.
The document says 43% of total phosphorous and 45% of nitrogen “gets into catchment streams during the closed period. Weather conditions in Ireland are unpredictable and can worsen after the closed period finishes.
“Organic manure storage periods are longer than closed periods, in order to reduce the likelihood of running out of storage should this happen.”
The NAP document says that it is for this reason that there will continue to be such a strong focus on the management and application of organic and chemical manures with the timing of application and the site of application key in reducing losses.
As outlined on the first page of this Focus supplement, the future direction of the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) and the availability of the nitrates derogation in its current form will be dependent on demonstrating that current measures are working. The deterioration in water quality outlined in the NAP must be reversed for this to happen.
There are a multitude of factors that can influence water quality, and as such, Ireland’s NAP has a strong focus in ensuring that science guides policy changes. The Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) is the vehicle designed to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures. The programme is operated by Teagasc and funded by the Department of Agriculture.
It has been in existence for over 10 years at this stage and the core element of the ACP is working in partnership with 300 farmers across six intensively farmed catchments. Research work is carried out rigorously across these areas, with the outcomes of this research providing valuable insights regarding processes that determine the effect of agricultural activity on water quality in the catchment areas.
The document highlights that evidence from the ACP indicates that supporting farmers to make better decisions regarding how nutrient applications are managed is likely to be the single area with the greatest potential to improve outcomes for water quality. This, it says, will deliver better profits while also reducing nutrient loss to water.
Key messages
The NAP document highlights four key messages to-date from the ACP. These are detailed as follows;
Ireland’s landscape is heterogeneous (diverse in nature) in terms of factors controlling nitrogen and phosphorus transfer pathways, transformation processes and timing of delivery. The influence of soil type, subsoil and geology on nutrient loss to water can override source pressures at the farm scale. At catchment scale (around 10km2), the link between nutrient source pressures and nutrients monitored in the stream water was most obvious when critical source areas were identified. Weather plays a more important role in temporal nutrient transport than farm practice changes. The influences of weather shifts were different for each physical setting. Both long-term weather shifts and short-term offsets need consideration.Importance of closed period
The merit of the ‘closed period’, or the timeframe where the application of nutrients to farmland is prohibited, has long been a bone of contention among farmers. The NAP outlines that the closed period and storage period for livestock manures are critical components in minimising nitrogen and phosphorus loss to water.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are both major elements essential for plant growth, but if not absorbed by soil or captured by growing plants, they are available for potential loss to water. These two major elements differ in terms of how they are lost to water.
The document states: “Nitrate does not bind to clay particles and is easily dissolved in water percolating through the soil.
“Nitrogen from organic manures is vulnerable to loss during the closed period as there is little crop growth to take nitrogen from soil solution and moisture in saturated soils will readily carry dissolved nitrogen away below the root zone.”
In contrast, it says: “Phosphorous is usually lost via surface runoff when soils are saturated and rainfall amounts exceed the ability of soils to soak up the amount of water falling. Soil can ‘bind’ and hold onto phosphorus, but does not get the opportunity to do so when it is carried in rain runoff across the surface pathway to a watercourse.”
Research carried out through the ACP highlights that there is a greater risk of these losses occurring in the closed period.
The document says 43% of total phosphorous and 45% of nitrogen “gets into catchment streams during the closed period. Weather conditions in Ireland are unpredictable and can worsen after the closed period finishes.
“Organic manure storage periods are longer than closed periods, in order to reduce the likelihood of running out of storage should this happen.”
The NAP document says that it is for this reason that there will continue to be such a strong focus on the management and application of organic and chemical manures with the timing of application and the site of application key in reducing losses.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: