December 31st, 2022, is the deadline for all farmers, including Nitrates Derogation 2022 applicants, to declare movements of organic manure off their holding’s this year.
Earlier this week, the DAFM confirmed that all movements must be declared and verified online by this date.
The DAFM has also announced that cattle-only Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements (N&P Statements) for the period January 1st to August 31st 2022, are now available on its online system.
A spokesperson for the DAFM said:
“These statements are particularly useful to allow farmers to plan for the remainder of the year to ensure compliance with the limits set in the Nitrates Regulations.”
“This is to help avoid penalties for breaching the limits of 170kg of organic nitrogen per hectare or the limit of 250kg of organic nitrogen per hectare for those who hold an approved Nitrates Derogation.”
“Effective from March 11th, 2022, the maximum stocking rate permitted for commonage is 50kg organic nitrogen per hectare with no chemical nitrogen permitted,” the spokesperson added.
Avoid exceeding nitrates limits
According to the DAFM, Measures all farmers can take to avoid exceeding the nitrates limits of 170 kg/ha (or 250 kg/ha for derogation holders) include:
- Renting additional land;
- Reducing livestock numbers;
- Exporting enough slurry/FYM and declaring the movement online.
Derogation farming
In a previous article on That’s Farming, Alicia Temple, freelance writer, looked at nitrates derogation and what is involved.
Her news article read as follows:
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, there are approximately 7,000 derogation farmers in Ireland.
Farmers involved in nitrates derogation can farm at higher stocking rates, above 170kg livestock manure nitrogen/ha. 250kg nitrogen/ha is the limit on derogation farmers. This higher figure equates to up to 3LU/ha.
To be eligible to farm at this higher stocking rate, your farm must comprise at least 80% grass. It is also important to note that your farm must include livestock.
Furthermore, in relation to livestock, they should be excluded from watercourses by means of a stock-proof fence. Animals should be restricted 1.5m from the top of a riverbank or water edge.
Read more in this post.
