Written answers
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Nitrates Usage
Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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416. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the farmers impacted by the reduction from 250kgs of N to 220kgs of N based on area farmed (details supplied). [44725/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Full year stocking rate data for 2023 will not be available until after year end. However, based on the land as declared for the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS), a total of 2,150 farmers with a whole farm livestock manure stocking rate ≥220 kg N/ha in 2022 have at least some land this year in an area that will be limited to a maximum Nitrates Derogation stocking rate of 220 kg livestock manure N/ha from the 1stof January 2024.
The following table provides a breakdown by area across these holdings.
| Total farmed Area (ha) as per BISS 2023 | Number of Holdings which had a whole farm stocking rate ≥220 kg N/ha in 2022 and based on BISS 2023 have at least some land impacted by the reduction in the maximum Nitrates Derogation stocking rate in 2024 |
|---|---|
| 0-20 | 427 |
| 20-30 | 182 |
| 30-40 | 198 |
| 40-60 | 443 |
| 60-80 | 333 |
| 80-100 | 234 |
| 100+ | 333 |
| Total number of Holdings | 2,150 |
In early October my Department published an interactive version of the Water Quality Review Implementation Map for 2024. This allows farmers to identify whether their holding will be impacted by the reduction in the maximum derogation stocking rate next year. To further assist farmers, my Department will shortly write to individual farmers that may be directly impacted by this change.
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