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The Minister for Agriculture will have the power to decide which fertiliser types can be used in Ireland from 1 January 2021.
This new power is enshrined in the fourth Nitrates Action Programme review, which is in place since 1 January 2018 and runs until the end of 2021.
The provision applies to more heavily stocked farms with grassland stocking rates of above 170kg N/ha and allows for future advancements in fertiliser technology, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said.
The Department has not indicated whether or not it will exercise this power.
It is envisaged that the measure is most likely to look at CAN and urea versus protected urea on environmental grounds.
Teagasc trials have shown that substituting 50% of the CAN spread on Irish farms to protected urea could cut methane production by the equivalent of 106,000 dairy cows.
A ban on the use of ordinary urea would result in an increased cost for many farmers.
If the sale of CAN was banned, this would make life very difficult for farmers using spreaders with a spreading width of greater than 24 metres.
IFA environment chair Thomas Cooney said any new measures can only be introduced after consultation with farmers.
“Extra costs cannot be imposed on farmers,” he said.
Why switching from CAN to protected urea could reduce greenhouse gases
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