The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been urged to consider introducing a new “tiered system in relation to the spreading of nitrates on land” by the chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
Deputy Jackie Cahill believes a more “farmer friendly” approach would benefit farmers stocked at 125kg organic nitrogen per hectare (N/ha) and ensure that they do “not face such a cliff edge”.
The chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food, and the Marine said he intend to discuss the possibility of a tiered system in relation to the spreading of nitrates personally with the minister.
Deputy Cahill said: “The current gaps between the bands are too big, what farmers need is some flexibility particularly after the wet weather we have had this year.
“There are farmers who want to ensure they have a good crop of grass but are worried about their limits and I plan to raise the issue of a tiered system with the minister when I next meet him in a policy meeting.”
Nitrates
Deputy Cahill has previously raised questions around why there is currently no tiered system in relation to the spreading of nitrates in place in the Dáil.
According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, the maximum amount of chemical nitrogen that can be applied to promote the growth of grass at various stocking rate bands is set out the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) for Protection of Waters Regulations.
The minister told Deputy Cahill that the objective of the GAP Regulations is to reduce and prevent the loss of excess nitrogen from agricultural soils to water.
“It is fundamental to note that these are maximum chemical nitrogen allowances. There is no obligation or requirement to use the full allowance and the allowance should not been seen as a target.
“Those who are stocked at the lower end of the stocking rate bands are particularly unlikely to require the full allowance as set out in the GAP regulations,” he added.
According to the minister, for holdings with an annual grassland stocking rate of less than or equal to 130kg N/ha the maximum annual chemical nitrogen allowance is 114kg/ha, or 92 units/ac.
“For those with an annual grassland stocking rate of 131 to 170 kg N/ha, the current maximum annual chemical nitrogen allowance is 185kg/ha or 149 units/ac,” he added.
Minister McConalogue said he “strongly” encourages each farmer to seek advice from a Farm Advisory Service (FAS) accredited advisor to “determine the optimum nutrient management strategy for their farm”.
“This will reduce environmentally harmful emissions and will also ensure the most efficient use of costly inputs,” he added.