Results 1,761-1,780 of 2,691 for speaker:Tim Lombard
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Leitrim, where there are 3,000 cows and one farmer who has a derogation, is on the red map. If we were to get rid of every cow in Leitrim tomorrow morning, would Leitrim be off the red map?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: But this is about the nitrates action plan and how we are considering the issue.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Is the EPA satisfied that the criteria will be effective in increasing our water quality?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Dr. Cotter can see how the farming community might look at this map and ask what it was about. We know the cattle stocking density in some areas. As Dr. Cotter rightly mentioned, there are freely draining soils in the south and south east. However, we are discussing the nitrates action plan and reducing nitrogen levels. If we were to reduce those levels in County Leitrim and a derogation...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Are the criteria-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: If eutrophication was not a part of the criteria set by the Commission, would Leitrim be a different colour?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: It is a fair question to ask, is it not?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: I would like to think so. Dr. Cotter can see where I am coming from. The confusion in the industry caused by the red map is amazing. The red map does not make sense. A Deputy from Mayo is present who will speak for that part of the world. I am not sure whether there are many derogation farmers there, yet half of Mayo is included in the map. The second element of the criteria set by the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Dr. Cotter rightly referred to a sole focus on derogation farms producing nitrogen. Unfortunately, the recommendations largely affect them solely. I appreciate that the EPA had to add a second map it was not asked for in order to bring more clarity to the situation. If the EPA were to model this map, would it do so differently?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Is that based on modelling?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: May I ask about the monitoring data and how the EPA operates the load? How is the load per river arrived at?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Regarding cattle numbers in that modelling, we can define which is the derogation farm and the farm practices it has modified to adhere to the derogation. We are all aware of them – different fertiliser spreading methods, soiled water storage, etc. We are all aware of different fertilisers spreading soiled water all the way through. When it comes to the modelling and looking at cow...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: What is the point of having a derogation? I acknowledge the good work that the derogation farmers are doing. There has been a significant reduction in chemical nitrogen, there is a shorter spreading window and derogation farmers are using new technology in the spreading of slurry, as required by law. Looking at the load of a river, it would be worrying if the derogation farmers were not...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: With respect, and I am not trying to be argumentative, if the derogation farmers are taking these all extra measures and that is not being acknowledged in the modelling, it would put into question the accuracy of the model. Otherwise, we could be dealing with a catchment where there is no farming derogation, everyone is using a splash plate and they are all using different forms of nitrogen....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: What is the difference between the model? The model I am suggesting is that the work being done by derogation farmers be taken into consideration when looking at the number of cows within a catchment area. In the Timoleague area, that is taken into consideration. I will come back in later.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: I will start with the scientific evidence. Deputy Matthews made a really interesting point. I will take Dr. Cotter to my part of the world to a place in west Cork called Timoleague and the catchment below there. Could Dr. Cotter explain to me how often the EPA tests water in bodies of water that are part of this programme?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: For the people who are watching, as Deputy Matthews mentioned, how many times or how often is the water tested in the catchment in Timoleague? That is a really important experiment that has worked really well for the last 14 years.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: Teagasc tests the water 52,000 times a year. For every one measurement the EPA takes, it takes 4,368. This catchment has more than 2,500 cows in the catchment area. It is probably the most densely populated cow herd area in Ireland, although I am open to correction. Teagasc's records are slightly different from the EPA's, as Dr. Cotter stated. The nitrate levels in that catchment area,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Water Quality Monitoring Report: Discussion (19 Jul 2023)
Tim Lombard: But-----