The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that local authorities are currently hiring additional staff in order to significantly increase the number of farm inspections aimed at improving water quality.
Ray Cullinane, a senior manager in the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, told the Teagasc Water Quality Conference today (Wednesday, February 7) that there were just under 1,000 local authority farm inspections carried out during 2022.
“When we did the analysis on the 2022 data for the 31 local authorities we got a figure back of roughly 10 full-time equivalent persons throughout the whole country who were dedicated to agricultural inspections, which is a very low number,” he said.
Cullinane said that 21 additional staff are currently being recruited by local authorities around the country, with more expected to follow.
“There will be more farm inspections carried out, that’s ultimately what the goal will be.
“The target that is set out in the third River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) is for 4,500 farms to be inspected annually by 2025,” he said.
Local authorities
As part of the fifth Nitrates’ Action Programme (NAP) an enhanced enforcement role was assigned to the EPA in relation to the oversight of local authority agricultural inspections.
This includes developing, implementing and overseeing a National Agricultural Inspections Programme (NAIP) for local authorities.
Two of the EPA’s national enforcement priorities for local authorities in 2024 relate to reducing the impact of agricultural activities on quality both on farm yards and on farm lands.
“There’s a strong national focus coming on compliance and enforcement of the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) for Protection of Water Regulations,” Cullinane noted.
The EPA will have to provide data to the EU Commission on details of inspections and enforcement actions on an annual basis.
Farm inspections
The conference heard that in 30% of the inspections carried out in 2022 non-compliances were detected which required follow-up inspections.
“The only way you detect non-compliances is if you carry out the inspections. It’s not just about numbers either because it’s significant about the quality of those inspections; the boots on the ground.
“You have to get out and walk the farm, talk to the farmers, see what issues are there, check and follow up on non-compliances that happen on the farm and go back a second time,” Cullinane said.
He said that there is “a demand out there amongst the farming community to see a more consistent approach around the adherence to the regulations”.
Cullinane added that local authorities may use complaints or planning inspections as an opportunity to undertake a GAP inspection for NAIP recording, if in an appropriate location.
He outlined some of the areas which local authorities will check during a farm inspection to ensure compliance with GAP regulations:
- Adequacy of slurry and soiled water storage;
- Management of rainwater;
- Evidence of discharges from farmyard;
- Management of silage effluent, run-off from silos;
- Management of farmyard manure;
- Impacts on nearest watercourse;
- Impacts from farm roadways;
- Impacts from slurry spreading practices, if applicable.
The conference was told that inspection locations will predominately focus on waterbodies where agriculture is deemed to be “a significant pressure”.
The EPA will supply local authorities with a list of water bodies that are impacted by agriculture and measures needed to improve water quality, along with mapping tools.
Cullinane encouraged Teagasc advisors at today’s conference to develop relationships with new and existing local authority staff “because ultimately we’re working towards the ultimate goal of improving water quality”.