{"id":1335380,"date":"2024-06-25T06:10:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T05:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/?p=1335380"},"modified":"2024-06-24T17:11:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T16:11:36","slug":"what-can-farmers-do-to-secure-the-next-derogation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightsail.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/what-can-farmers-do-to-secure-the-next-derogation\/","title":{"rendered":"What can farmers do to secure the next derogation?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The ‘Farming for the Future’ open farm walk and talk event which took place on Donal Kavanagh’s farm in Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, highlighted the measures that can be taken on farm level to maintain the derogation and improve water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The understanding is that agriculture is undergoing a significant period of change and during the farm walk, Tirl\u00e1n believe the stand out policy issue is the protection of water quality and the future of the nitrates derogation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CEO of Tirl\u00e1n, Jim Bergin spoke after and admitted that in the last 18 months, he has never seen a topic to grip farmers as much as the Nitrates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He talked about the challenge of the River Slaney project, which is the project they are undertaking to improve the areas and water quality surrounding the river. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is one of the most challenged rivers in the country with the most diverse enterprises on it, but Jim Bergin believes that the scale of this project is so big and demanding that it is a great way to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“In terms of a match, if you know who the best players on the opposite team are, and you try and subdue them, you’re off to a good start.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He finished up by further stressing the importance of proving we can farm at the level that we are at, to strengthen our hand when we go to Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chair of Tirl\u00e1n, John Murphy emphasised that Tirl\u00e1n is “absolutely committed to improving our waterways because its the right thing to do”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Through good work and improvements happening on farm, we will see its affects in a few years,” he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Policy around the nitrates derogation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Noeleen McDonald who is an assistant agricultural inspector for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), talked us through the policy landscape around water quality and and the nitrates derogation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What can farmers do to secure the next derogation?<\/strong> Ensuring compliance is number one, especially around storage and spreading. McDonald also said to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“Understand your soil type, the pressures in your area and where you are flowing into catchments.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) was discussed and is the basic measures to protect water quality from spreading dates to storage with these measures applying to all farmers and is then reviewed every four years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of the nitrates derogation, water quality needs to be stable and if less than good, it needs to improve as derogation is given on on condition of no deterioration of water quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
66% of N applied as protected urea + sulphur <\/td><\/tr>
Precision application<\/strong><\/td>
GPS Five and 10 metre buffer zones on farm <\/td><\/tr>
Using the fertiliser plan <\/strong><\/td>
Shopping list of of fertilisers Target fields using soil and clover score maps <\/td><\/tr>
Better NUE <\/strong><\/td>
171kg chemical N\/ha (down 33% since 2021) 26% NUE (up from 19.3% in 2021)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Water quality <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mathew Moylan of Tirl\u00e1n spoke about the initiative and programmes that Tirl\u00e1n have in place to improve water quality, increase biodiversity, improve sustainability and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the initiatives include the Sustainable Farming Academy, FarmGen, Operation Biodiversity, the Sustatinable Action Payment and the Twenty20 beef club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n