Ireland’s nitrates derogation is in danger of being revoked or curtailed unless water quality trends improve, the Department of Agriculture has warned agricultural consultants.
Both outcomes could severely restrict stocking rates on farms.
The area under derogation increased by 40% between 2014 and 2018, rising from 332,200ha to 466,000ha.
More than 7,000 intensively stocked farmers availed of the derogation last year.
The next review of the Nitrates Action Plan will take place in 2021 but there are real fears among consultants and farmers about its outcome.
“If our water quality doesn’t improve, or we don’t at least show a change in the trend, and we go looking for a nitrates derogation, we might not get it,” Leanne Roche of the Department of Agriculture told consultants at an Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) environmental training session in Portlaoise last week.
“Water quality has decreased while at the same time our ammonia emissions have increased. This will all have implications when it comes to the nitrates review and retaining our nitrates derogation,” said Roche, an assistant agricultural inspector in the Nitrates section.
She continued: “We [the Department of Agriculture] thought that the suckler herd would decrease as the dairy herd increased, but the reduction in the suckler herd has not been as big as we expected.
“Since 2010, the dairy herd has increased by 30%, while the suckler herd has decreased by 7%.”
Even if Ireland secures a derogation in 2021, the terms could change if Irish water quality has not improved sufficiently, she warned.
“The review could come back and say that we need to focus on certain areas like phosphorus, for example,” Roche said.
“It could also reduce the current limit of 250kg of organic N/ha down to 220kg of N/ha.
"Another option could be to change the production from a cow from 85kg of N up to 100kg of N,” she added.
Both options would limit farmers’ stocking rate.
Read more
Nitrates derogation to be reviewed
Environment: stricter nitrates rules for derogation farmers
Ireland’s nitrates derogation is in danger of being revoked or curtailed unless water quality trends improve, the Department of Agriculture has warned agricultural consultants.
Both outcomes could severely restrict stocking rates on farms.
The area under derogation increased by 40% between 2014 and 2018, rising from 332,200ha to 466,000ha.
More than 7,000 intensively stocked farmers availed of the derogation last year.
The next review of the Nitrates Action Plan will take place in 2021 but there are real fears among consultants and farmers about its outcome.
“If our water quality doesn’t improve, or we don’t at least show a change in the trend, and we go looking for a nitrates derogation, we might not get it,” Leanne Roche of the Department of Agriculture told consultants at an Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) environmental training session in Portlaoise last week.
“Water quality has decreased while at the same time our ammonia emissions have increased. This will all have implications when it comes to the nitrates review and retaining our nitrates derogation,” said Roche, an assistant agricultural inspector in the Nitrates section.
She continued: “We [the Department of Agriculture] thought that the suckler herd would decrease as the dairy herd increased, but the reduction in the suckler herd has not been as big as we expected.
“Since 2010, the dairy herd has increased by 30%, while the suckler herd has decreased by 7%.”
Even if Ireland secures a derogation in 2021, the terms could change if Irish water quality has not improved sufficiently, she warned.
“The review could come back and say that we need to focus on certain areas like phosphorus, for example,” Roche said.
“It could also reduce the current limit of 250kg of organic N/ha down to 220kg of N/ha.
"Another option could be to change the production from a cow from 85kg of N up to 100kg of N,” she added.
Both options would limit farmers’ stocking rate.
Read more
Nitrates derogation to be reviewed
Environment: stricter nitrates rules for derogation farmers
SHARING OPTIONS