Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has said that in order to manage water quality, farms must have “sufficient storage” levels for their needs.
He said that his department can not give “an absolute assurance” in relation to holding on to the deorgation, but will “make sure that we’re taking every action to keep the 220kgN/ha”.
The minister spoke today (Thursday, March 7) at the Agricultural Consultants’ Association (ACA) annual general meeting (AGM).
Minister McConalogue said that work needs to be done on farm level and at a political level in terms of water quality.
“If there’s not enough storage, people will find themselves being pressured into bad practices,” Minister McConalogue said.
“The derogation is something we applied for and have to secure, so we can’t be 100%. All we can do is make sure that we’re taking every action that’s going to be required,” the minister said.
Water quality
The minister said that he recently requested that Teagasc would develop a multi-actor Water Quality Advisory Campaign.
He added that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) introduced the accelerated capital allowance system in the budget to support farmers in coming up to compliance.
ACA president, Noel Feeney raised the issue of some farmers missing out on derogation, due to application errors.
Some derogation applicants in 2022 were rejected due to a failure to submit the necessary supporting documentation, according to the minister.
Minister McConalogue said that under DAFM’s new procedure, applicants that failed to lodge all necessary supporting documents have now been given a two-week opportunity to lodge the required documents.
To date, 112 herdowners who failed to submit valid support documentation with their 2023 derogation application have been written to and given two weeks to submit the required documentation, according to Minister McConalogue.
“This procedure should significantly reduce the number of farmers rejected from derogation for purely administrative issues,” Minister McConalogue said.
He added that the department will continue to engage with the ACA on issues in relation to nitrates and water quality and that the online Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirement will continue.
The minister said he “looks forward to liasing” with the ACA in appointing deorgation specialists.