Housing cattle indoors is “much more nitrogen efficient” but “bad” for a lot of other reasons, the head of advocacy with An Taisce, Dr. Elaine McGoff has said.
Dr. McGoff was asked by Deputy Johnny Mythen whether there would be an alternative way to reduce nitrogen without lowering stocking rates if she had a “magic wand”.
Speaking before the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, she emphasised that “none of us in the room” want to end up in a situation where cattle are housed indoors.
“If we look at systems like in Denmark, where they have quite high stocking density, they are improving water quality but they have moved to housed systems,” Dr. McGoff said.
“It is not a very good magic wand solution, but if you want to address nitrates and keep the same stocking density, that’s kind of where you end up,” she added.
Nitrogen
An Taisce was speaking at a meeting of the committee to discuss compliance with the nitrates directive and its implications for Ireland yesterday (Wednesday, February 21).
Dr. McGoff said she attended the meeting on Ireland’s derogation with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius last November.
While she is “not necessarily” of the view that there shouldn’t be a derogation, she told the committee that it is “very clear” the commission will not give Ireland “any wiggle room”.
Due to the “massive financial and social implications” if Ireland loses its derogation, Dr. McGoff described it as “reckless” of the government that there is no plan in place incase this happens.
Most of the surplus nitrogen is coming from cattle when they are out at pasture, thus, she said, the “logical solution” is to reduce the stocking density, but there are other measures.
These other measures include, for example, less fertiliser use and less slurry, however, referencing Teagasc figures, she said that only 8% of nitrogen is coming from slurry.
“Even if you got rid of all the slurry, in the really problematic catchments, it is not going to be enough,” she said stressing that a catchment-based approach is needed to reduce nitrates.
Dr. McGoff, who has looked at water quality for 20 years, said she does not believe that by abiding to all measures in the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) water quality will be ok.
She said there is a “lack of honesty” and that it is “incredibly unfair” that farmers are being told that “if they just do what it says on the tin that water quality is going to be ok”.
“Until you know what you are dealing with, there is just going to be fear and we are going to go in circles”, An Taisce’s head of advocacy told the committee.