Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

203 Chapter 8: Water Agricultural measures Agriculture is the most widespread of the pressures that impact water bodies. The number of water bodies impacted by agricultural activities increased between 2015 and 2021, coinciding with a period of significant intensification driven by the removal of the dairy quota and strategies such as FoodVision 2025. The need to address the impact of agriculture on water quality is now receiving significant attention as a result of the risk to the nitrates derogation (See Topic Box 8.2). Actions to address the impacts of agriculture on water quality consist of both regulatory and voluntary measures. The primary regulatory tool is the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations. Voluntary measures are implemented through the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP), agri- environmental schemes, such as the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), and other results-based payment schemes under EIP and LIFE projects. Details of the key measures are included in Chapter 10. The review undertaken to develop the Fifth Nitrates Action Programme highlighted a significant level of non-compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations. In addition, the Commission’s Implementing Decision ((EU) 2022/696) on the nitrates derogation required Ireland to take additional measures to improve compliance. To address this, the EPA was tasked with overseeing and monitoring the implementation of a new national agricultural inspection programme carried out by local authorities. This programme is now in place and additional resources have been assigned to the EPA and local authorities. A key element will be an increase in farm inspections and improved data on the extent and nature of non-compliance and the resolution of issues. Topic Box 8.2  Ireland’s nitrates derogation The aim of the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) is to protect water quality from nutrient pollution arising from agricultural sources. Every 4 years, Member States may seek a derogation to increase the level of organic nitrogen loading from 170 kg/N/ha to a maximum of 250 kg/N/ha, provided that the derogation does not impact water quality. Derogation farms are subject to additional, more stringent, measures than other farms and an increased inspection regime. Ireland was initially granted a nitrates derogation in 2007 and is currently one of three remaining EU countries that hold one. The Netherlands’ derogation is being phased out by 2025, and Denmark will not seek another after July 2024, when its derogation expires, so it is likely that Ireland will be the only country negotiating a further derogation for 2026 onwards. A condition of Ireland’s current derogation required an interim assessment of water quality to be carried out in 2023 in accordance with specific criteria set by the European Commission (2022/696/EU). The outcome of the assessment was a reduction in the maximum permitted organic nitrogen load from 250 kg/N/ha to 220 kg/N/ha on derogation farms over much of the country. The derogation reduction has generated considerable public interest in water quality and the actions that need to be taken on farm to reduce nutrient pollution. Actions to prevent phosphorous losses to water are relatively straightforward and involve breaking the pathway between the source and the water body at the farm level. Actions to reduce nitrogen losses can be more challenging, as it is the cumulative amount of nitrate lost from the catchment area to waters that counts, so all farms have a role to play. The level of nitrogen loss varies depending on farm practices, soil type and weather, but the key action needed is reducing the source load in areas where the risk of loss is highest. Three types of action need to be progressed to reduce the impacts from agriculture and improve water quality. 1. Ensure that all farms comply with the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations. Significant new resources have recently been committed to local authorities to increase inspections and to the EPA to develop a national agricultural inspections programme and oversee its implementation. 2. Continue to improve nitrogen use efficiency on farm, so that as much as possible of the nitrogen used is taken out in food or crops and not leached into the environment. The average nitrogen use efficiency on Irish farms is 24% (Teagasc, 2023), but Teagasc aims to increase that to 35% on grassland farms through a range of measures, including improving soil fertility and nutrient management planning. 3. Step up efforts to reduce cumulative nitrogen loading in catchments where required. In some catchments, improving compliance and efficiency may be enough to achieve the required reductions in nitrate leaching. Actions to protect and improve water quality are needed across all farming types, not just derogation farms. It remains to be seen whether the current increased focus on the need to improve water quality and additional measures, such as the enhanced agricultural inspection programme and Farming for Water EIP, will be delivered at the scale and pace needed.