Mr. Jack Nolan:

They are for intensive farmers. They have to attend training, focus on nutrient management and perform grass measurement. A small number of farmers in Ireland were measuring grass through PastureBase, the Teagasc system. The most efficient thing that can be done in Ireland on much of the land is to grow grass but one must be able to measure it to manage it and get the details. That has also become compulsory. Liming has become compulsory on derogation farms. The issue of soil health has probably already been discussed. We have not focused enough on soil in Ireland and getting the pH level right, the calcium-magnesium balance right. If the pH level is correct - which is dependent on lime - the fertiliser can be used 50% more efficiently. That has been a positive influence. It has been a good back-end of the year and lime sale levels are up. They are not where we need them to be as of yet, but they are on an upward trend. That is probably as a result of that measure.

Derogation farmers have to fence off bovine access to watercourses, which is a positive measure because it prevents E. coli. Teagasc did a study with Dundalk Institute of Technology, the Cosaint project, that showed that animals in the watercourse leads to E. coli in drinking water. Removing that is an excellent measure. We made the use of low emission equipment compulsory, which Mr. Harris covered. We also made a reduction in crude protein in dairy diet, which is important. We looked at a suite of measures. If animals consume excess crude protein, it will come out in their urine, is a waste of money and damages the environment. We introduced these efficiency measures, the results of which are probably only being seen in the water now or will be seen next year. They definitely will have a positive impact on water quality as long as they are taken on board.

We also introduced the measure that no run-off from farm roadways - the area where animals walk - is allowed into a watercourse or drain because there can be sediment loss or, for the first 100 yd from when the cows come out of the parlour, a lot of slurry. That change is also positive. There measures will add up and help to improve water quality.