Tipperary County Council is carrying out a series of farm inspections throughout this month in the River Suir catchment area in the south of the county.
The farm inspections are conducted around the county on a year-round basis and form part of Tipperary County Council’s overall water quality monitoring programme, the local authority said.
The inspections are carried out on a river catchment or sub-catchment basis, and the areas for inspection are targeted based on water quality assessment.
The inspections for the River Suir Catchment – to the south of Thurles and Holycross – began last week and are expected to continue “at least” for the month of March.
The inspections are part of the implementation of the national agricultural inspection programme for water quality, as per the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive, and are overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Good water quality is intrinsic to tourism, provision of potable (drinking) water, water-based recreation and amenities, attracting investment and indeed to agriculture itself in the provision of wholesome food,” the county council said.
The inspections will be mainly farmyard-based, but may also include inspections of drains and watercourses on farmland, as well as farmers’ nutrient management plans and nitrates records.
The local authority said that the aim of the inspections is to “engage with farmers to identify non-compliance issues leading to water quality issues, instruct corrective actions, and to improve overall compliance with [EU regulations], and ultimately improve and maintain water quality”.
Farmers in a given water catchment area receive notification letters alerting them to the possibility of being selected for inspection when local authorities are targeting inspection work in their catchment area.
Tipperary County Council said that this is “considered sufficient prior notice”. Not all farmers notified will be inspected.
Contact details for a county council staff member are also provided to answer queries from farmers, the council said.
No specific dates or times are arranged before the inspection, unless requested by the farmer.
These farm inspections may also be conducted as part of a follow-up to complaints and agricultural planning applications submitted.