Pigs and poultry want Smith's support on nitrates changes

Pig and poultry farmers in Cavan and Monaghan told a Teagasc meeting dealing with the draft nitrates regulations that they're depending on Minister Brendan Smith to secure the future of their sector. Some 200 farmers attended the information session at Ballyhaise College last Thursday evening to hear the 21 proposed amendments Teagasc is making as part of the review of the nitrates regulations. In a detailed two-hour presentation Rogier Schulte, Stan Lawlor and Mark Gibson outlined the proposals, emphasising time and again that they are based on sound science and are environmentally positive, or at least neutral. They explained that the first Nitrates Action Plan (NAP) has resulted in changes to farm infrastructure and nutrient management, and it will take time for these to show through in water quality. Therefore, the scientists maintain, there is no need for more severe restrictions at this time. Each of their 21 proposals is positive for farmers and environmentally benign - it's a win-win situation, they say. They pointed out that these are still just proposals and they have to go before the two ministers (agriculture and environment), and then to Brussels for approval. The challenge - for the pig and poultry sector in particular - is that the Nitrates Directive Derogation the EU Commission granted Ireland in October 2007 (it allows landspreading rates of up to 250kg of Nitrogen per hectare per annum under specific circumstances) is due to expire at the end of this year. If it is not extended a typical pig or poultry farm would need 50% more spreadlands for its litter and incur significant additional transport costs - getting it to where tillage farms can exploit its potential as fertilizer, for example. The IFA regional vice-president John Waters said: "These sectors employ over 14,000 people, between primary production, processing and associated industries. If the current arrangements are not continued, jobs will be lost and government targets for 50% growth in output under Food Harvest 2020 will be meaningless." The Cavan IFA Pigs Committee representative Michael Caffrey of Mountnugent said producers fear being wiped out if they have to transport slurry over long distances. "The failure to roll over the current arrangements would add €30m per year in haulage costs to the pig and poultry sectors and producers in this region will go to the wall. The minister can say goodbye to thousands of jobs on his own doorstep and any talk of expansion from the government would be a joke." IFA National Poultry chairman Alo Mohan of Redhills pointed out that more than half of the entire poultry industry is in Cavan and Monaghan and producer margins can't sustain additional costs, while Mr. Waters added that some €2.5bn has been invested in improving farmyards and buildings to comply with the nitrates regulations. "The existing calendar farming requirements are now seen to be totally impractical and must be replaced by sensible arrangements. We also need the continuation of the 250kg nitrates derogation for commercial dairy and beef farmers, the lifting of the ban on winter ploughing for grain growers and a reduction in the available nitrogen levels in spent mushroom compost and farmyard manure," he said. "The government's 2020 Strategy contains achievable growth targets, but the potential of agriculture to help drive economic recovery will not be realised if Minister Smith fails to deliver a framework for sustainable growth in the Nitrates review." Also speaking at the meeting, Deputy Seymour Crawford complimented Teagasc on its "efforts in the last 12 months" and said he couldn't "over-emphasise the need for transitional arrangements and a derogation". The IFA deputy president Eddie Downey commended Teagasc too but pointed out that its work was only stage one in the process: "The major problem is pig and poultry, but there's no need for a change in the regulation - we have to push that right to the limit," he said. "There are good people in Teagasc with the ability to drive this across the line and the science to back it up."