Farm inspections carried out within the catchment area of the River Douglas in Co. Laois have uncovered a number of issues relating to the loss of nutrients and sediment from yards into local watercourses.
Laois County Council (LCC) is currently in the process of investigating all farms in the region, after the River Douglas catchment was identified as ‘at risk to water quality’ by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA also identified agriculture as the “most significant pressure” on water quality in the area.
When such a status is announced, the relevant local authority has a statutory obligation to carry out inspections under the EU’s 2022 Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Regulations.
Rory O’Callaghan, senior executive engineer with LCC told Agriland that the local authority expects to complete the mandatory farm inspections within the first quarter of 2023.
According to O’Callaghan, the inspections are “on the ground farm walks to identify what the significant problems are in the catchment, and to identify the pathways of nutrient loss from farm to watercourse”.
He explained that they involve the following steps:
- An initial discussion with the farmer regarding water quality in the area.
- A walkover of the farmyard to identify any sources or potential sources of nutrient or sediment loss from the yard area.
- A visual inspection of the closest watercourse to the farmyard to determine water quality.
- A discussion with the farmer in relation to land-spreading of organic and inorganic fertilisers, soil type and land drainage information in relation to spread lands.
The EPA told Agriland that “agriculture is the most widespread pressure which is impacting on water quality and farm inspections are therefore a national enforcement priority for local authorities”.
“Local authorities are focussing their inspections on farms in areas where water bodies are impacted by agricultural pollution, and therefore at risk of not meeting their water quality objective.
“All farmers can help protect and improve their local water quality by ensuring they are compliant with the GAP Regulations, by seeking the advice of their farm advisor or by participating in the ASSAP Programme if it is operating in their area,” it added.
As a result of the risk that the agricultural industry poses to Irish watercourses, the EPA is now working with various local authorities to develop an enhanced ‘National Agriculture Inspection Programme’.
The agency said that within this, farm inspections will become more targeted and risk-based, “with a stronger focus on compliance and follow-up enforcement as required under the 5th Nitrates Action Programme”.
Under this programme, the local authorities that carry out the inspections will have a number of powers to enforce actions to protect and restore water quality.
These include issuing compliance letters, reporting breaches to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), or taking enforcement action under the Water Pollution Act.