The Agriculture Water Quality Working Group, chaired by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), has agreed that the organic nitrogen (N)value of calves should be reduced for the first three months.
The group, which is scheduled to meet again this week, has also agreed that farmers should be given the opportunity to reduce the organic N value of cows, by using reduced crude protein diets.
The Agriculture Water Quality Working Group, which has to date met 10 times, was set up in May by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to “develop actions and measures for this year’s Nitrates Action Programme review”.
Last week, the group met to discuss the 20 recommendations drawn up by the Nitrates Expert Group (NEG), which is jointly chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) and the DAFM.
NEG’s main job is to “provide scientific advice” to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the agriculture minister on measures to “protect water quality and the environment against pollution from agricultural nutrients”.
At its meeting last week, the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group also discussed research findings from Teagasc “on the impact of reducing the maximum crude protein content of concentrates fed to dairy cows”, the current banding system and a monitoring programme to assess dairy soiled water and slurry volumes on 100 dairy farms.
However, discussions are set to continue this week when the group, whose membership also includes representatives of key farm organisations, private agricultural consultants, Local Authorities and Teagasc, meets to review some of NEG’s proposals which have already been met, with some hostility from certain members.
Particularly in relation to one recommendation which advocates bringing more farms under the new stocking rate limit on derogation farms of 220kg N/ha.
Agriculture Water Quality Working Group
According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, he has three key aims for the working group. These include:
- To connect farmers and local water quality data;
- To improve compliance with and enforcement of current regulations;
- To develop actions and measures for this year’s Nitrates Action Programme review that will support the “objective of improved water quality”.
Last week the Sinn Féin TD for Louth, Ruairí Ó Murchú, tabled a parliamentary question asking Minister McConalogue to provide an update on the work done to-date by the working group in relation to the nitrates directive.
In response Minister McConalogue said that the group has been tasked with bringing forward proposals to improve water quality and also to “strengthen Ireland’s case for a nitrates derogation post-2025”.
Minister McConalogue added: “The views of the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group along with the Nitrates Expert Group’s recommendations will inform my department’s position on the measures being brought to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with a view to securing agreement on what actions should be brought forward for Appropriate Assessment of the Interim Review.”