Farming in a way that is more beneficial for nature on more intensive systems does not have to come at the expense of profitability, a dairy farmer in derogation has said.

Waterford farmer Shane Fitzgerald said that derogation can be a “dirty word” when it comes to its impact on nature, but that is not necessarily the case.

Fitzgerald and his fiancée Kate Curran received an award recognising the work they have done for nature at the annual Farming for Nature gathering at the weekend.

Nature-positive measures in place on the farm will make it more resilient to changing weather in the future, Fitzgerald hopes.

“The only thing that has affected our profitability is the weather the last couple of years.

“We’d be hoping that by doing the kind of work we’re trying to do for the environment, by trying to hopefully improve our soils with the likes of multispecies swards, that we are going to be able to reduce our nitrogen.

“We’ll have healthier soils and they’ll be more resilient to drier weather or even wetter weather too – that they would become more free-draining in structure. We’re looking at making ourselves actually more resilient by doing these things,” he said.

Win-win

Fitzgerald – who has a 3m margin in some fields, ponds and multispecies swards in some areas – added that from his perspective nature and profitability on farm “go hand-in-hand”.

“It’s a win-win from the environment side of things, but also from the profitability side of things. Often when other farmers hear of nature friendly or biodiversity, they think straight away, it’s bad for the farmer’s pocket.

“We’re trying to show that they can go hand-in-hand and it’s a win-win scenario,” he said.