On 1 January, new nitrates rules come into effect.

The Irish Farmers Journal has produced a short video to describe some of the changes that need to be made with regard to the fencing of watercourses, drinking points, movement of water troughs and redirecting flow from roadways.

New rules regarding roadways affect all farms, regardless of stocking rate. Roadways will need to be bunded or cambered to prevent run-off to these water features and that run-off should be redirected to the field.

New rules

Farmers with a stocking rate over 170kg organic nitrogen per hectare (before slurry exports are accounted for) have a lot more to do. The video describes how stock on farms in derogation will need to be fenced 1.5m away from watercourses.

Watercourses are marked with a solid blue line on the 1:5000 scale Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) maps. Other features that carry water are marked with a dashed blue line and could include a drain or a dry drain.

All water bodies will need to be fenced from livestock, but those with a dashed blue line can be fenced at the bank.

Drinking points will no longer be allowed on a watercourse and need to fenced off from stock and a new water trough installed.

This trough will need to comply with the new nitrates rules and be placed 20m away from the watercourse.