Head of dairy knowledge transfer with Teagasc, Dr. Joe Patton said that stocking rate is needed on farms to utilise as much pasture as possible in order to generate profitability.
Dr. Patton spoke about operating at a high enough level of stocking rate while also reducing the risk of nutrient loss.
He said that in order to mitigate risks of damaging water quality, farmers should be aiming to have adequate slurry storage and good soil fertility.
He added that precision management of nutrients can also mitigate risks.
Dr. Patton spoke in Co. Longford at the Lakeland Dairies water quality event about where Ireland stands in terms of water quality in Europe.
He said that while water in the country is “good” on a European scale, that work still needs to be done.
Dr. Patton said that farmers “have to accept” that there is a “risk” from agriculture for water quality.
“There is obviously parts of the country that have issues, they’re at moderate levels or even lower than that, but we do have quite a number of water bodies that are at a high level,” Dr. Patton said.
According to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, concentrations of both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soiled run-off waters are “much higher” than previously expected, with soiled roadway run-off having a similar profile to dairy-soiled water.
The report published as part of the EPA Research Programme 2021–2030 stated that the findings have “direct implications” for Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) which states that “there shall be no direct runoff of soiled water from farm roadways to waters”.
Dr. Patton said that no one area is better than the other, and that work to improve water quality is “catchment dependent”.
“Obviously areas with free draining soils have a risk on nitrate, with more heavier soils, the risk could be on phosphorus,” Dr. Patton said.