As one of our most precious resources, it's important we do all we can to minimise the waste and pollution of our water supplies.

With this in mind, Teagasc has organised Water Quality Week to raise awareness of such issues.

Set to run from 22 to 26 March, the initiative coincides with World Water Day on 22 March.

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Organised in collaboration with dairy processing co-ops and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), the initiative will provide water quality-focused information and advice to farmers.

A number of webinars are planned with the aim of helping to minimise losses of nutrients, sediment and pesticides to water from farming practices.

Week’s agenda

Water Quality Week will cover a broad range of topics and its events will be available to farmers and the public.

Each day will be dedicated to a particular theme and will look to explain a range of water quality problems and provide practical advice and solutions to farmers.

Schedule

  • First up on Monday will be an exploration of the importance of water quality to farmers and explanations on how water quality is measured and where the public can access information on the streams and rivers of Ireland.
  • On Tuesday advisors will provide information on nitrogen, with the help of Teagasc researchers from Johnstown Castle. Information will be provided on how nitrate interacts with soil and what farmers can do to minimise diffuse nitrate losses from their farms.
  • This will be followed on Wednesday by a similar discussion on diffuse phosphorus (P) and sediment losses to waters. The focus will be on how farmers can ‘break the pathway’ of P and sediment losses by putting the right measure in the right locations on farms.
  • The focus on Thursday will be on pesticide use on farms and how this can impact streams and rivers. There will also be a focus on the roles that agro forestry and wetlands can play in helping to protect and improve water quality.
  • The week will be closed out by a session explaining the importance of good farmyard management practices, as these play a vital role in minimising point source losses of nutrients.

    • There will also be an opportunity to tune into the weekly Teagasc signpost webinar for additional information and discussions on the topics covered by Water Quality Week.

    Further information on water quality week is available here.