The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued a reminder to farmers that 2020 Nitrates Derogation applications can now be submitted online.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

Farmers are advised to contact their agricultural advisor to determine if they should avail of this facility. Further information on the derogation can be found on the department’s website.

Producers who applied for a derogation in 2019 are reminded that they must submit fertiliser accounts by Friday, April 8, also.

End-of-year nitrogen and phosphorus (N and P) statements for 2019 are available on the department’s online system at: www.agfood.ie.

Farmers not already registered for agfood.ie can do so by logging onto: www.agfood.ie and clicking the ‘register’ button, the department added.

‘Urgent approval’ for TAMS called for

In other Department of Agriculture news, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed is being called on to issue “urgent approval” for the 16th tranche of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS).

Michael Biggins, the rural development chairperson for the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), said that many of the farmers who applied for this tranche – which ended in early January – “have vital investments to carry out on their farms, and need urgent approval from [Minister Creed’s] department”.

Continuing, Biggins said:

For the last four tranches, only 80% of applicants have been approved. Unsuccessful applicants have been carried forward to subsequent tranches.

“The carryover of some 311 applications on three occasions means farmers are facing a very uncertain situation with regard to their investments,” he said, adding that the IFA is calling for the backlog to be sorted now.