A total of 20,000 issues relating to water quality have been identified on Irish farms over the last five years, according to Teagasc director, Professor Frank O’Mara.
In a briefing to Oireachtas and European Parliament members this week, O’Mara also outlined that as part of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) around 2,500 farms have been visited this year.
The programme focuses on water quality in 190 “priority areas for action” and provides a free, confidential service for farmers.
Prof. O’Mara said that to date – from 2018 – 20,000 water quality issues have been identified on farms.
He also told Oireachtas and European Parliament members that farmers have agreed “to rectify 94% of these, and 65% of mitigation actions” are fully implemented or in progress.
The Teagasc director also outlined that an advisory support service is now in place for farmers that are “affected” by the reduction from 250kg nitrogen (N)/ha, to 220kg N/ha from next year.
Water quality working group
Meanwhile, the minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that members of the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group, first set up by by the government in June, will meet next week to decide what steps need to now be taken to ensure that “loss of nutrients to water is minimised.”
The Water Quality Working Group – which includes representatives from the major farming organisations, industry, stage agencies and government departments – will examine latest Teagasc research, feedback from the Nitrates Expert Group – and also its own work for the Interim Review of the Nitrates Action Programme.
According to Minister Charlie McConalogue the Water Quality Working Group has now been “tasked with bringing forward their proposals to improve water quality and strengthen Ireland’s ability to secure a nitrates derogation post 2025”.
Earlier this week, the group met to review the latest research from Teagasc in relation to lower nutrient excretion rates for young calves.
It is understood that if this research is taken on board it would “release the pressure to move calves off-farm next spring”.
The group has also reviewed Teagasc research on the impact of reducing the crude protein content of concentrates fed to dairy cows as well as research on the nutrient content of slurry.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Water Quality Working Group has agreed to consider the best ways to implement the findings of this Teagasc research, “which has the potential to give farmers a degree of flexibility in how they can manage the transition to lower derogation limits, without impacting negatively on water quality”.
DAFM has also detailed that Teagasc will now carry out “some further assessment in relation to these measures”, and the working group will finalise their views on this next week.
Farm sectors
Minister McConalogue has stressed that “improving water quality, is vital to the future of our agricultural system”.
“Our water quality is being impacted by numerous pressures. We need to see increased ambition across the farm sectors to achieve the water quality stabilisation and improvement Commissioner Sinkevičius referenced as vital to Ireland securing a Nitrates Derogation post-2025.
“The derogation as we know is hugely important to our farming system and its loss would have far reaching consequences across our farm system,” the minister said.