As part of the better farming for water campaign, Teagasc has appointed six Catchment co-ordinators to lead a multi-actor approach to improve water quality in eight of Ireland’s most important rivers.
The Bandon river will be one of eight across the country that stands to benefit from Teagasc’s appointment of six catchment co-ordinators, who will lead the approach to improve water quality in each river as part of the ‘Better Farming for Water’ campaign.
The Catchment co-ordinators will work in each of the selected catchments, and co-ordinate the efforts of all relevant stakeholders to put in place a comprehensive plan to improve water quality.
Stakeholders include farmers, Teagasc, private agricultural consultants, industry representatives, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), local authorities, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) and community groups.
The Teagasc better farming for water campaign focuses on eight specific ‘actions for change’.
It aims to: Reduce purchased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) surplus per hectare; ensure soil fertility is optimal for lime, phosphorus and potassium; ensure application of fertiliser and organic manure at appropriate times and conditions; have sufficient slurry and soiled water storage capacity; manage and minimise nutrient loss from farmyards and roadways; fence off watercourses to prevent bovine access; promote targeted use of mitigation actions such as riparian margins, buffer strips and sediment traps to mitigate nutrient and sediment loss to water; maintain over-winter green cover to reduce nutrient leaching from tillage soils.
Oisín Coakley has been appointed to oversee both the Bandon river and the Lee.
The other five Teagasc catchment co-ordinators and catchments are: Fiona Doolan – Boyne, Philip Murphy – Blackwater, Claire Mooney – Suir, Neilus Nunan – Slaney, and Ciaran Sheelan – Nore and Barrow.
‘I look forward to working with the six Catchment Co-ordinators in what is a very important role under the Teagasc better farming for water Campaign,’ said Noel Meehan, head of the Teagasc Water Quality Knowledge Transfer Department.
‘To succeed in improving water quality in the eight selected catchments, all stakeholders will be required to play their part in a collective effort of planning and actions. Key to realising improvements is the careful targeting of the right measure in the right place alongside high levels of implementation at farm level. We have a great opportunity to use the better farming for water campaign to support farmers in the implementation of water protection measures and to have a period of sustained water quality improvement.’
