Teagasc is set host its agri-environment conference this week on Thursday, April 6 in the Tullamore Court Hotel in Co. Offaly.
Those planning to attend are asked to register online in advance.
The itinerary kicks off at 9:30am and is expected to wrap up circa 4:00pm.
The first session will focus on the topic of sustainability. There will be presentations and discussions on ‘how to include farmland habitats in sustainability assessments?’, ‘mitigating greenhouse gas and Ammonia in Irish agriculture’ and how to weigh up fertiliser (Nitrogen) options (in terms of yield, efficiency, cost and greenhouse gases).
Speakers will include Dr. John Finn, Dr. Gary Lanigan and Dr. Patrick Forrestal – all from Teagasc. Joe Crockett, Chairman of the Dairy Sustainability Working Group, will speak about the Irish Dairy Industry Association (IDIA) Sustainability Project – as part of this session.
The second session, which is scheduled to start at 11:30am, will deal with GLAS. Topics will include ‘upland farming’, ‘tree and hedge-grow actions’, ‘grassland actions’, ‘wild bird cover’ and the ‘campaign for responsible rodenticide use’.
John Lusby, CRRU (Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use) Ireland TaskForce and BirdWatch Ireland, and Louis Kilcoyne, NMP (Nutrient Management Plan) Support Team, will join four Teagasc speakers for this session.
After lunch, kicking off at 2:00pm, there will be a third session dedicated to research updates.
- Farmer attitudes in relation to participation in agri-environment schemes;
- Environmental sustainability indicators (from The National Farm Survey Sustainability report);
- Use of bio-solids in agriculture;
- Water quality and biodiversity;
- Assessing the risk of Phosphorus transfer in high-status catchments: Integration of nutrient management and soil conditions;
- The sky and the ground: Influence of weather change on soil nutrient loss.
The final session, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm, will deal specifically with water quality.
Dr. Aidan Moody, from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will discuss MCPA and other pesticide threats to Irish agriculture. Immediately after that, Dr. Jenny Deakin, from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will speak about how water quality can be improved.
A full programme for the day’s proceedings is available online.