Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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463. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he considers the output of organic nitrogen per hectare, NPH, on livestock farms as a good indication of productivity and stocking rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29394/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I would consider that the output of organic nitrogen per hectare, NPH, on livestock farms is a good indication of stocking density on those farms. In response to a previous question from the Deputy, I provided data on NPH based on payment per hectare categories as follows:

Note that the payment per hectare categories are based on the 2010 SPS payment database, which my Department has used to model various CAP reform proposals. The nitrogen per hectare (NPH) figures are calculated for the purpose of enforcing the Nitrates Directive, based on data from the AIM and SPS systems. Please note also that these NPH figures (from livestock manure) are calculated using the claimed/reference area for the whole farm (whichever is the lesser), including arable lands. Additionally, NPH is also influenced by the type of stock held on the farm. Farms which are exclusively arable are excluded from this data.

Based on the same payment per hectare categories, the 2010 modelling database shows the following stocking densities expressed as livestock units per hectare. It should be borne in mind that these are the average values per payment category, and there would be a considerable range of stocking densities within each category.

While stocking density does not represent all the elements of agricultural productivity, it is a tangible measurement of activity where data from my Department is readily available.

This data shows that, using average results per payment category, farmers on higher payment per hectare rates have roughly double the stocking density of those below the average. However, it does also show that the stocking density of farms on the very highest payment rates (e.g. over €500 per hectare) is not significantly higher than the stocking density of farms just above the national average (e.g. €300 to €400 per hectare).