The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has announced that interim Nitrogen and Phosphorus Statements (N and P Statements) for the period January to September 2020 are now available on the department’s online system.

The department said that the statements will allow farmers to plan for the remainder of the year in order to ensure compliance with the limits of the nitrates regulations.

Penalties are levied on farmers for breaching limits of 170kg of N per hectare, or 250kg of N per hectare for those who hold an approved derogation.

Calls to allow people ring-side at marts

In other department-related news, it has been receiving numerous calls from several quarters to allow a limited number of people attend mart sales.

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for allowances to be made for 25 people to physically attend sales.

Pat McCormack, the association’s president, argued that as long as the recommended social distancing and other regulations were fully observed, it “would be difficult to see how marts should be different to other essential services”.

“We’re just conscious that this is traditionally a very busy period for weanling producers when competition for cattle is critical, and we think that if their trade could be facilitated – subject, of course, to observance of all Covid guidelines – then that would be a step in the right direction,” McCormack argued.