Over 2,845 farmers have so far applied to draw down funding for water quality work on their farms under the Farming for Water EIP.
The farmers, who are all located in what are known as priority areas for action (PPAs), take concrete action to prevent nutrient and sediment leaching from their land and farms to the local waterways.
Up to the end of May, the average application from a farmer under the EIP was €11,655, up from €10,620 in 2024.
The actions chosen range from rainwater management and farmer training to hedgerow establishment and large riparian zones.
Noel Dundon, communications and engagement lead for the Farming for Water project, told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that the project funds farm actions that will have a meaningful impact on water quality.
“We have an interactive map that the farmer can plug their Eircode into on the website farmingforwater.ie to see if their farm is located in a priority area for action,” Dundon explained.
The next step is for the farmer to contact their adviser, whether that’s a Teagasc or private adviser or their co-op’s ASSAP adviser, who will help them apply to the Farming for Water project.
“Our scientists will look at the map and satellite images for the farm and assess what measures would be impactful, what measures would make a difference on that farm for water quality,” he continued.
A rainwater management plan is a mandatory action for all farmers, and then they choose from a menu of over 50 different actions.
Some of the most popular measures include the training course, for which the farmer gets paid €156, a nitrogen surplus plan (€250), a nutrient management plan (€400) and buying a tractor-mounted yard brush and bucket to keep the yard clean.
This bucket and brush implement is funded at 50% of the cost, up to a maximum of €2,000 excluding VAT. By keeping yards clean, it drastically reduces the amount of sediment and nutrients that can leach into nearby waterways.
A separate pilot catch crops scheme just closed for applications last weekend and was expected to attract over 1,000 farmers, who will be paid to sow a catch crop after harvesting this summer.
Like the other measures, it is designed to reduce nutrient and sediment leaching, as well as keeping carbon in the soil, improving organic matter and increasing biodiversity. It pays from €173/ha to €229/ha for between 0.5ha and 40ha.
So far in the five-year project, other popular measures among farmers include slurry testing, bovine exclusion from water bodies, water troughs and water fittings, water bars, vegetated bunded drains and solar-powered water pumps. Also high up on the popular list are a farmyard settlement tank, solar-powered electric fencers and hedgerown establishment.
For more on the scheme, go to www.farmingforwater.ie or contact your farm adviser.
Top 10 measures:
Rainwater management plan (mandatory).Farmer training course.Nitrogen surplus plan.Slurry testing.Farmyard bucket and brush.Contractor mobilisation fee.Management of critical source area.Nutrient management plan.Alternative water supply – trough.Alternative water supply – piping.The EIP process couldn’t have been simpler
– Wexford farmer
Tirlán supplier Séamus Doyle says making a Farming for Water EIP application “couldn’t have been easier”, and he now knows that no matter what the weather and how much rain falls, he has taken steps to protect water quality in nearby waterways.
Doyle milks 130 cows, in the Boro sub-catchment of the Slaney, averaging 29l/cow and targeting milk solids of 500kg/cow.
“The whole process started with an informal chat with the Tirlán sustainability team, first about leaching and nitrates, and they brought up about the EIP Scheme. I’d heard nothing about it up to that,” Doyle said.
“We walked the farm during an arranged visit and the Farm Support Service team came back with suggestions. We discussed these. There was no pressure at any stage to do anything. Any actions proposed are on a voluntary basis,” he explained.
“Having a second set of eyes to look out for potential areas for improvement as we walked around the farm was fantastic. They suggested we put in a willow bed and sediment tank.
“They did all the paperwork, the project is now complete and I’ve peace of mind that no matter what happens down the line, we’re very well set up, we have peace of mind.”
The payment for a willow bed is €34/m and the payment for a sediment tank is €6,500 per tank.
“The willow beds were put in a disused area which was pretty much a hospital paddock in the past. I love trees and nature so it was a great solution for me – and will hopefully be a great solution for generations to come here.”
“I knew there were small issues with the management of water within the farmyard and that something would have to be done at some stage.
“The EIP, I suppose, gave me the push to do the work. It’s a simple process, I’d really advise anyone who has even the smallest concerns about potential risks to water to have that conversation.
“You’re not signing up to anything that you have to continue with by starting that conversation. I’m glad I did and I’d recommend others do it too. All of this was done without me hardly even noticing it was done.”
He explained: “The EIP process couldn’t have been simpler. I only had to agree the actions. The lads did all the paperwork for me.”
Over 2,845 farmers have so far applied to draw down funding for water quality work on their farms under the Farming for Water EIP.
The farmers, who are all located in what are known as priority areas for action (PPAs), take concrete action to prevent nutrient and sediment leaching from their land and farms to the local waterways.
Up to the end of May, the average application from a farmer under the EIP was €11,655, up from €10,620 in 2024.
The actions chosen range from rainwater management and farmer training to hedgerow establishment and large riparian zones.
Noel Dundon, communications and engagement lead for the Farming for Water project, told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that the project funds farm actions that will have a meaningful impact on water quality.
“We have an interactive map that the farmer can plug their Eircode into on the website farmingforwater.ie to see if their farm is located in a priority area for action,” Dundon explained.
The next step is for the farmer to contact their adviser, whether that’s a Teagasc or private adviser or their co-op’s ASSAP adviser, who will help them apply to the Farming for Water project.
“Our scientists will look at the map and satellite images for the farm and assess what measures would be impactful, what measures would make a difference on that farm for water quality,” he continued.
A rainwater management plan is a mandatory action for all farmers, and then they choose from a menu of over 50 different actions.
Some of the most popular measures include the training course, for which the farmer gets paid €156, a nitrogen surplus plan (€250), a nutrient management plan (€400) and buying a tractor-mounted yard brush and bucket to keep the yard clean.
This bucket and brush implement is funded at 50% of the cost, up to a maximum of €2,000 excluding VAT. By keeping yards clean, it drastically reduces the amount of sediment and nutrients that can leach into nearby waterways.
A separate pilot catch crops scheme just closed for applications last weekend and was expected to attract over 1,000 farmers, who will be paid to sow a catch crop after harvesting this summer.
Like the other measures, it is designed to reduce nutrient and sediment leaching, as well as keeping carbon in the soil, improving organic matter and increasing biodiversity. It pays from €173/ha to €229/ha for between 0.5ha and 40ha.
So far in the five-year project, other popular measures among farmers include slurry testing, bovine exclusion from water bodies, water troughs and water fittings, water bars, vegetated bunded drains and solar-powered water pumps. Also high up on the popular list are a farmyard settlement tank, solar-powered electric fencers and hedgerown establishment.
For more on the scheme, go to www.farmingforwater.ie or contact your farm adviser.
Top 10 measures:
Rainwater management plan (mandatory).Farmer training course.Nitrogen surplus plan.Slurry testing.Farmyard bucket and brush.Contractor mobilisation fee.Management of critical source area.Nutrient management plan.Alternative water supply – trough.Alternative water supply – piping.The EIP process couldn’t have been simpler
– Wexford farmer
Tirlán supplier Séamus Doyle says making a Farming for Water EIP application “couldn’t have been easier”, and he now knows that no matter what the weather and how much rain falls, he has taken steps to protect water quality in nearby waterways.
Doyle milks 130 cows, in the Boro sub-catchment of the Slaney, averaging 29l/cow and targeting milk solids of 500kg/cow.
“The whole process started with an informal chat with the Tirlán sustainability team, first about leaching and nitrates, and they brought up about the EIP Scheme. I’d heard nothing about it up to that,” Doyle said.
“We walked the farm during an arranged visit and the Farm Support Service team came back with suggestions. We discussed these. There was no pressure at any stage to do anything. Any actions proposed are on a voluntary basis,” he explained.
“Having a second set of eyes to look out for potential areas for improvement as we walked around the farm was fantastic. They suggested we put in a willow bed and sediment tank.
“They did all the paperwork, the project is now complete and I’ve peace of mind that no matter what happens down the line, we’re very well set up, we have peace of mind.”
The payment for a willow bed is €34/m and the payment for a sediment tank is €6,500 per tank.
“The willow beds were put in a disused area which was pretty much a hospital paddock in the past. I love trees and nature so it was a great solution for me – and will hopefully be a great solution for generations to come here.”
“I knew there were small issues with the management of water within the farmyard and that something would have to be done at some stage.
“The EIP, I suppose, gave me the push to do the work. It’s a simple process, I’d really advise anyone who has even the smallest concerns about potential risks to water to have that conversation.
“You’re not signing up to anything that you have to continue with by starting that conversation. I’m glad I did and I’d recommend others do it too. All of this was done without me hardly even noticing it was done.”
He explained: “The EIP process couldn’t have been simpler. I only had to agree the actions. The lads did all the paperwork for me.”
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