Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett has confirmed a new €60 million scheme to help farmers improve water quality on their lands.
The announcement was made today (Saturday, November 26) at the Green Party Annual Conference in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
DAFM will provide €50 million towards the cost of the scheme, while the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will contribute a further €10 million.
According to Minister Hackett, the scheme will be run as a five-year European Innovation Partnership (EIP) programme.
It will involve farmers working with experts and advisors to reduce the loss of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and sediment from agricultural lands into water courses.
The actions which farmers will be paid to undertake as part of the scheme are likely to include: using flood plain and riparian woodlands; overland sediment traps and offline storage ponds.
Farmers may also be asked to establish new field boundaries, including hedgerows; increase riparian buffer strips; carry out drain management; grazing and livestock management; detailed nutrient management planning and reduce inputs.
Announcing the new scheme, Minister Hackett said:
“We all care deeply for our environment, and we hear and speak a lot about the climate and biodiversity crises. But it is critical that when we talk about protecting our environment, we also talk about water quality.
“Our lakes, our rivers, and our streams are precious, and so much of what we can do to improve our water quality has knock on benefits for our climate and our biodiversity – so I am delighted to be introducing this water scheme as yet another example of the Green Party delivering for the environment, and for farmers and rural communities in government.”
The department of agriculture will issue a competitive call for project proposals in the coming weeks, with the scheme to begin next year.