Independent senator, Victor Boyhan, has joined with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) to call on the government to expand the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advice Programme – ASSAP.
This is to help farmers with advice and measures to improve water quality as part of the Nitrates Action Plan (NAP) review.
His call was made as part of the farm organisation’s presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture on the NAP review earlier today (Tuesday, September 14, 2021).
Boyhan said: “It was abundantly clear from the presentations to the committee by Macra Na Feirme, IFA, ICMSA [Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association] and Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association [INHFA], that supporting farmers to make better decisions regarding how they manage nutrient applications, is likely to have the greatest potential to improve outcomes for water quality on Irish farms – delivering better profits for the farmer, while reducing risk of nutrient loss to water.”
ASSAP
The ASSAP is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Senator Boyhan said that this is a new approach to enable local landowners to engage positively in seeking solutions to local problems with the support of a confidential advisory service.
Support from the farming organisations for the programme has been very strong, according to the senator.
He said: “[The collaboration] is vital in communicating and informing farmers about the ASSAP programme and its key messages.”
Senator Boyhan said he intends to raise the expansion of the ASSAP with Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConologue in Seanad Eireann.
“We all accept that the nitrates review must improve water quality, without placing excessive cost on farmers,” the senator said.
“It is the ambition of farmers to be drivers of environmental good practice. The tri-partied coalition government, when talking about farm sustainability, must give equal weight to economic sustainability and environmental sustainability,” he concluded.