There are major changes coming in manure storage and stocking rate under nitrates legislation for both derogation and non-derogation farmers, a senior official with the Department of Agriculture has warned.

The review of Ireland’s nitrates action programme has already begun, Jack Nolan senior inspector in the Department’s nitrates division told a Teagasc webinar on Friday.

Nolan said there has never been more than 7,000 farmers availing of the nitrates derogation to stock up to 250kg N/ha instead of the normal 170kg N/ha limit.

However, there are 11,500 farmers stocked above 170kg N/ha with those not in derogation exporting slurry to remain compliant.

Stocking rate

Nolan advised farmers to begin preparing for a reduced stocking rate. He said the latest modelling from Teagasc showed dairy cows were excreting 89kg N/cow, not the current 85kg N/cow.

A rate of 85kg N/cow, allows for a stocking rate of two cows per hectare. However, this looks set to be reduced.

“If you're a farmer or a dairy farmer out there, for 2021 you should be looking at your system and saying 'can I cope with reduced fertiliser use, reduced nitrogen and can I cope if the dairy cow changes to 89 kilos', because that's what's coming very shortly,” he said.

Slurry storage

A major focus in the next review will also be on manure storage.

“The idea that there'll have to be more storage on farms will have to be explored because we've had about three times in the last six years or seven years calls for an extended closed period or to be allowed spread in the closed period,” Nolan said.

He disagreed with criticism of the closed period, saying research showed nutrient loss was twice as high in the prohibited times of the year. He said the problem lay with a lack of slurry storage on farms.

For farmers remaining outside derogation by exporting slurry there will also be changes. Following a mini review of the derogation in 2019, low emission spreading technology was made mandatory. Nolan said this would be extended to all 11,500 farmers above the 170kg N stocking rate in the near future.

Targeted measures

Since 2015, Nolan said there had been a major change in farm structure: “We have these large farmers, 11,500 with a stocking rate above 170kg N/ha, nearly 2,000 farmers stocked above 250kg N/ha, and a half or two thirds of the milk in Ireland I think is produced on derogation farms.

“Is it right to treat these farmers the same as the farmer with 85 or 100 kilos stocking rate? So fella or woman at two or three livestock units per hectare, should they be treated the same as one livestock unit per hectare?

“Blanket regulations have brought us so far, but in the future we'll have to have targeted measures.”