The sixth Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) has now been officially published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The sixth NAP will run from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, and includes a focus on nutrient management; knowledge transfer and advisory services; and compliance & enforcement, through a range of regulatory and non-regulatory measures, according to the department.

The Good Agricultural Practice Regulations giving effect to the programme have been signed by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne, and will be published on the Irish Statute Book in the coming days.

These regulations contain measures to protect water from nutrient pollution arising from agricultural sources.

New measures in the sixth NAP cover areas include:

Increased focus on compliance and enforcement;
Improved nutrient distribution on fragmented farms;
Increased slurry and soiled water storage capacity requirements;
Expansion of the organic nutrient movement database operated under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Much of the measures included in the finalised sixth NAP have already been reported on, particularly when a draft version was published in October.

The new measures are divided into regulatory and non-regulatory measures.

Regulatory measures

The regulatory measures outlined under the sixth NAP include:

Nutrient balance at individual farm level (know your number) - to aid better decision making for on-farm nutrient management;
Improved nutrient distribution on fragmented farms - to prevent excessive and surplus nutrients being applied to certain areas;
Increased slurry and soiled water storage capacity requirements - to improve on-farm nutrient storage and management;
Chemical nitrogen allowances for grassland and arable crops - to match nitrogen and phosphorous application with crop requirements;
Timing of nutrient application for arable crops - to reduce loss of nutrients from arable land;
Expansion of DAFM’s organic nutrient movement database - to encourage best practice in terms of nutrient use and reduce the risk of over-application of nutrients;
Continued and increased focus on compliance and enforcement, and the National Agricultural Inspection Programme - to increase compliance enforcement and promotion;
Overall review of the GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Regulations - to ensure clarity of requirements.

Under the 'know your number' measure, the programme says that a farmgate nutrient balance can provide an assessment of the overall nutrient status (nitrogen and phosphorus) on the farm.

Subject to a nitrates derogation being granted for Ireland under the sixth NAP, this requirement will be mandatory for derogation farms and encouraged for other farms.

In the second measure, improving nutrient distribution on fragmented farms, this will require farmers to demonstrate that livestock manure is being applied equally across the milking platform, including outblocks of land.

As previously noted in coverage of the sixth NAP, the measure to increase slurry and soiled water storage would come into effect from October 1, 2028 to provide an adequate lead-in term for farmers.

Non-regulatory measures

The non-regulatory measures outlined in the sixth NAP include:

Expansion of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) - to enable targeted on-farm advice, knowledge transfer and better informed decisions;
Continuation of Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for the duration of the sixth NAP - to incentivise farmers to adopt targeted measures specific to their own farm situation that go beyond regulatory requirements;
Knowledge transfer and awareness raising for both farmers and farm advisors - to improve awareness and knowledge base among farmers and advisors;
Research on Mehlich soil analysis to better quantify plant available nutrients - to reduce nutrient losses through more appropriate nutrient application rates that better align with crop needs based on the true level of nutrients available within the soil;
Research on cover crop establishment - to mitigate nitrogen loss and sediment run-off from arable land through optimum use of cover crops;
Continuation of Teagasc's Agricultural Catchments Programme - to ensure ongoing improvements in best available science and understanding of factors impacting water quality from an agricultural perspective.