WITH the number of farm and septic tank inspections due to rise this year, some councillors in West Cork believe this could support the agriculture community’s fight to hold its derogation.
Cllr Alan Coleman (Ind) welcomed the appointment of additional inspectors, saying that it was important ‘that we have as many inspections as possible, because if we can show that we have a highly regulated industry it will help the argument at both national and EU level to keep the derogation.’
Ireland’s nitrates derogation allows farmers to farm at higher stocking rates, which has a bearing on the levels of manure nitrogen, but that is expected to be changed at the end of the year.
Councillors were told that the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has allocated a specific minimum of farm inspections to each local authority under the National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP), the purpose of which is to help maintain, or improve, natural water quality in Ireland.
Under the plan, Cork County Council has been instructed by the EPA to undertake a total of 1,085 farm inspections in 2025.
Councillors were also told that the target number of septic tank inspections for 2025 has increased to 150, but given that there are 50,000 tanks in use through the county, the number is considered small.
The schedule for the year ahead includes inspections in the following municipal districts: 11 in Carrigaline; 18 in Bandon and Kinsale; 24 in Macroom; and 25 in the West Cork Municipal District.
Under the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems National Inspection Plan (NIP), the minimum number of inspections has increased from 60 in 2021 to 113 from 2023 to 2026.
Cllr John Michael Foley (FG), who is a farmer, welcomed the fact that new regulations will give farmers 48 hours notice before the inspection is carried out.
Meanwhile, Cllr Alan Coleman, who is also a farmer, suggested that they write to the minister and ask for an extended grant scheme for people who want to upgrade their septic tanks because the protection of ground water is important.
‘People who have identified serious problems with their septic tanks know it isn’t a cheap thing to resolve so it makes sense to extend the grant scheme,’ he said.
The councillors were told that the EPA has set out the criteria for the inspections, and they will be focused in areas where water quality is under pressure from septic tanks.
