There “is a risk” that more farmers may have to move from the current maximum derogation stocking rate to 220kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare, according to the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA).
The organisation’s president, Denis Drennan, said: “The fear is that there are a couple of areas where there is an anomaly and it might be down to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) monitoring points.
“There is no reason why those areas should be brought in if the EPA cannot monitor it and as a result they cannot state if it meets the criteria or not, so why should those areas be included?
“But under Appropriate Assessment some of those areas may then be included – they won’t be included until January 1, 2025 but we do have to let due process happen and see what will happen with the Appropriate Assessment”.
It is understand that some of the areas where there may be question marks include around the River Slaney and River Bandon.
According to the EPA “agricultural activity” is one of the main sources of nutrient losses to water in Ireland, it has previously stated that there is “a significant pressure on approximately 1,000 waterbodies”.
The EPA maintains that high nitrate levels are a “particular problem in the south and southeast of the country”.
The agency publishes a full assessment of the condition of Irish waters every three years and last year also carried out – under the European Union Good Agricultural Practices for the Protection of Waters regulations an Interim Review.
This review was based on specific criteria set by the European Commission and the data for this assessment came from the EPA’s Nitrates Directive Monitoring Network – which is a subset of the EPA’s full national water quality monitoring network.
The EPA identified that “44,000 km2 of agricultural lands” required a reduction in the maximum allowable rate of application of organic manures from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha.
However the agency also highlighted last year that there were “some areas with a high number of derogation farms, and which may need to reduce nitrogen losses to water” which were not included because they did not have a monitoring station in the Nitrates Directive Monitoring Network.
According to the ICMSA president over the next two to three months while the Appropriate Assessment is carried out farmers should be aware that there is a risk that some additional areas may have to move from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha from January 1, 2025.
Drennan said the ICMSA is now seeking a meeting with the EPA to discuss how both the Nitrates Directive Monitoring Network operates and how the agency’s assessment of eutrophication is conducted.