Farmers ‘flying blind’ without access to latest nitrates figures

FARMERS are ‘flying blind’ with regards to their stocking rates due to the Department of Agriculture not publishing the most up-to-date figures they have for nitrates and phosphorus use. 

That’s according to the deputy president of ICMSA, Denis Drennan who has described the move as ‘an astonishing omission.’

Mr Drennan, who also serves as chairperson of the farm and rural affairs committee dealing with matters relating to the nitrates issue, said that in previous years farmers were able to check online early in July and at regular intervals thereafter allowing them to adjust their stocking rate accordingly. 

But the Department’s failure to supply these guide figures meant that farmers were in the dark in a situation where breaching limits could have enormously significant consequences, he said. 

‘The kind of shortfall in knowledge that this failure represents is incredibly serious. Farmers need to know where they are at both in terms of general room to manoeuvre and specifically on issues relating to Tams and maybe the need to go to less. That would be true in any year, but in this year where both cow banding and the derogation situation are already going to be causing chaos then farmers will find the department’s inability to inform individual farmers of where they stand in relation to the limits absolutely chaotic and inexcusable. In 2021, we calculate that farmers had eight opportunities to check their N and P usage. So far this year, we’ve had none,’ said Mr Drennan.

 Calling on the Department to immediately publish the most up-to-date figures and then provide opportunities for regular updates and checks, Mr Drennan said that farmers were effectively being asked by the Department to obey a speed limit without being supplied with a speedometer.

‘It’s not good enough and the Department must redeploy resources immediately so that the relevant data was made available to the farmers concerned.’