The final report of an expert group led by former UFU president Dr John Gilliland, tasked with developing a land management strategy for NI, is due to be published by the third week of October.

Speaking at an event in Stormont on Tuesday to mark NI Environment Week, Gilliland said that the report had been due in March but was held back as a result of the May Stormont election and the June EU referendum.

Despite that, the main recommendations within the report have been widely discussed, with Gilliland engaging with numerous farming groups and organisations both here and in the European Commission. He claims to have received significant buy-in from the majority of people he has met. “Led by farmers, for farmers who want a future,” is one of his main straplines.

Aim

The aim of the work is to develop a policy, so that NI farming can meet growth targets as outlined by the Agri-Food Strategy Board, but in a way that is environmentally sustainable. To do that, farmers will have to become more focused on soils, and grow more grass. Regular soil analysis is crucial, and should be made compulsory if there isn’t widespread uptake, suggests Gilliland.

In terms of the environment, the major issue is phosphate (P) leaching into watercourses. At present, 62% of NI water bodies fail ‘‘good quality’’ status. In future, it seems increasingly likely that farmers will not be allowed to spread slurry on soils with a P index of three and above. That creates a problem for 1,200 to 1,400 farmers in NI who are intensive, and account for 40% to 50% of output in NI. The Gilliland-led group recommend that a one-off capital grant scheme for new technology is put in place for these farms so that they can “recycle P out of their system”.

With 80% of P entering watercourses by overland flow, the group also talk about encouraging farmers to grow woody strips to capture P runoff.

Changes

They also want to see fundamental changes made in government policy, with tax incentives put in place (as in the Republic of Ireland) to encourage long-term leasing of land, so that tenants can invest in soil fertility.

On the relationship between farmers and the NI Environment Agency (NIEA), Gilliland maintained that there is a “huge culture of fear” among farmers which acts as a barrier to change. The group would like NIEA to adopt an advisory function ahead of enforcement.

Change is also required in the closed period for organic manures, suggested Gilliland, with spreading dictated by the prevailing weather, not a date in the calendar.

Where farmers invest in technology to measure soil moisture and temperature, they should be allowed to spread slurry whenever it is appropriate.