Tighter regulations for farmers in derogation

Farmers stocked at over 170 kg organic nitrogen per hectare will be required to use low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment from 2020.

A mid-term review of the Nitrates Derogation will see changes brought into force this Autumn.

The Department of Agriculture stated the review was conducted to ensure that those availing of the Derogation are operating to efficient and effective water quality protection standards at farm level.

It contains a number of recommendations including use of LESS equipment, a farm scale liming programme, disallowing commonage/rough grazing for derogation, earlier lodging of slurry export movement forms and inclusion of clover in reseeding mixes.

The derogation allows more intensive farmers to operate at a higher stocking rate than that stipulated in the Nitrates Directive, subject to adherence to stricter rules to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture.

The derogation will run to the end of 2021 when the fourth programme concludes.

Over 7,000 farmers with 11% of Irish agricultural area and 20% of bovine livestock availed of the derogation in 2018 with a similar number anticipated to avail of the facility in 2019.

In addition, a further 5,000 farmers with 13% of bovine livestock exceeded the 170 kg N/ha livestock manure limit but exported slurry, or took other actions to comply with the limit.

• All farms with a whole farm stocking rate above 170 kgs livestock manure N/ha will have to comply with new slurry spreading rules. Only LESS equipment can be used after April 15th 2020.
• All farms stocked above 170 kgs N/ha will have to adopt a compulsory farm liming programme.
• All farms must submit export forms for slurry movements earlier each calendar year to facilitate timely nutrient management planning.
• All grass reseeding will include a minimum clover mix.
• Commonage/rough grazing will not be eligible for derogation in 2020.
• Crude protein in concentrate feeds should be reduced on farms stocked above 170 kg N/ha.
• Derogation farmers will have to adopt a biodiversity measure from the All Island Pollinator Plan.

Grassland measures

• Derogation farmers will have to record through appropriate software technology the grass produced annually on the farm. Alternatively, they will have to undertake certified grassland measurement training. This has been recommended to come into force by 2020 or 2021.

First Published 30 July 2019