The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has issued a reminder to farmers to complete nitrates declarations for the movement of organic fertiliser, temporary movement of animals during the year, or short-term rental grazing agreements for 2022, as they must be submitted by December 31, 2022.
These are:
- Record of Movement of Organic Fertilisers – declare and verify movements online;
- Record 4 Form – Temporary Movement of Animals;
- Record 5 Form – Short-Term rental Grazing Agreement.
Farmers can access the online system by logging on to their agfood account and selecting the nitrogen and phosphorous (N&P) statements. The system can be used by both farmers and agricultural advisors.
Valid nitrates declarations
The DAFM said that all online movements of slurry must be accepted (verified) on the system by the importer by December 31, 2022 in order to be valid.
Record 4 and Record 5 Forms and a short demonstration video and user manual for the online system are all available on the department’s website.
Record 4 and Record 5 Forms can be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] or farmers can post their declarations to Nitrates Section, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Y35 PN52.
The DAFM added that the only accepted proof of postage is a Swift Post receipt or Registered Post receipt.
Submitting these forms by December 31, 2022 can help farmers to comply with the 170kg N/ha livestock manure limit or 250kg N/ha limit in the case of approved derogation farmers, according to the department.
The DAFM added that last year the majority of farmers submitted their forms on time and stayed within their limit and avoided penalties.