The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine is calling on the government to provide funding for a national slurry storage project.
The committee said that the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, announced in Budget 2024, could provide the necessary funding “in the context of climate adaptation”.
Members added that the 70% grant for additional storage facilities on farms importing slurry, also outlined in last year’s budget, should be extended to all farmers.
They also said that the government should address any delays in the planning system which are preventing farmers from building slurry storage “as a matter of urgency”.
The recommendations are contained in a new report published by the committee on Ireland’s nitrates derogation.
Committee
In January, the EU Commission dropped Ireland’s nitrates derogation level from up to 250kg of nitrogen (N) per hectare per year to a limit of 220kg/N/ha/year.
Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Jackie Cahill said the move “brought about severe economic and social impacts for the agriculture sector”.
In response to the change, the committee examined the potential impacts for the sector if there was a further decrease or loss of the derogation.
The committee heard from a wide range of witnesses between February and July, including from government departments, farming organisations, the agriculture industry and environmental groups.
In its final report, the committee said that much of the evidence provided to it indicates that the current derogation can be maintained, while also ensuring that there are improvements to water quality.
Members acknowledged that the Nitrates Directive has the aim of “reducing water pollution caused or induced by nitrates from agricultural sources”.
However, they do not believe that this should be done “in such a way as to potentially decimate the dairy industry and the wider agriculture sector”.
The committee also accepted evidence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stating that there has been no change in the biological quality of our rivers and lakes.
The agency added that the improvements regarding nitrates in some areas are being offset by declines in other areas
The committee said that measures to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources “need to be adequately enforced in a fair and transparent manner”.
Nitrates
Among the 19 recommendations in the report is a call for the establishment of an inter departmental taskforce, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach.
This group would “properly assess the economic and social implications of a further reduction to the nitrates derogation”.
The report calls for a move towards “a tailored catchment-based approach” in Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme (NAP).
The committee said that equipment purchased by a farmer which has positive impacts on water quality and other environmental indicators should be eligible for a VAT refund.
The report said that annual training, funded by the government, should be introduced for all farmers with a specific focus on improving water quality.
Supports should also be put in place so all farmers can ensure their cattle are restricted from entering water bodies, where possible.
Advice
The committee said that the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) must be adequately supported and resourced.
“It is evident that when support and advice of this nature is provided to farmers, positive results will follow,” it said.
Additional funding is also recommended for agricultural consultants and advisers “to ensure that all farmers are being adequately supported in terms of advice”.
The report calls for research to be undertaken which would “illustrate estimated lag times” when it comes to nitrates reduction measures.
The committee said this information could be used during negotiations with the EU Commission on the renewal of the derogation.
The report highlighted the “information gap in the measures that are being undertaken at farm level and the corresponding results in the water environment”.
It added that the EPA should provide monthly reports on water quality test results “to provide more real time results” for farmers and the general public.
In order to meet increasing farm inspection targets, the committee said all vacant positions in the National Agricultural Inspections Programme “need to be filled as a matter of urgency”.
The committee said it believes that unsatisfactory phosphorus (P) concentrations are “often being unfairly primarily attributed to agricultural activity”.
Therefore, it said that funding should be allocated to upgrade Ireland’s wastewater treatment plants, and further research be undertaken on the link between elevated levels of afforestation and increased phosphorus concentrations in water bodies.