Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed)

Ms Ruth Hennessy:

That was an initiative in response to the catchments of concern report the EPA produced, which identified those catchments where we are seeing that significant nitrogen reductions are required. Using that and other information available, we were able to identify the areas within those catchments that were most at risk for nitrogen losses or freely draining soils and the farming practices on those. Therefore, by identifying those areas and providing risk criteria or prioritisation criteria the co-operatives could use, we could see the areas within those that were losing the most nitrogen and then allow the co-operatives to work with farmers in those areas. That is what co-operative advisers have been doing. This was specifically an action that co-operative advisers were able to use. They were able to use that information to engage farmers to look at the nitrogen use within their farms and within their farming systems. We know that nitrogen use efficiency across farms is generally quite low. It is in the order of 20%. The ambition is to get it to the order of 35%, so-----

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