Rule changes ‘knocking the socks’ off farmers
Frequent changes to rules and regulations by the Department of Agriculture are knocking the socks off farmers and could stymie investment in the sector, officials were told at a hearing of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee last week.
The meeting also heard that should Ireland’s nitrates derogation not be renewed, it is likely that a drop-down approach to stocking-rate limits would be adopted rather than a cliff-edge cut.
Bill Callanan, chief inspector at the Department of Agriculture, said the European Commission will always recognise individual challenges in member states.
Objective
“I don’t see it as a precipitous decision that it will go from 220-170kg/N. Ultimately, if we are not on a track to securing it [Derogation] and our objective is to secure it, one reasonable outcome that the Commission could propose is a drop-down approach,” he said. “I have been dealing with it now since 2010 and I couldn’t envisage a scenario where it would change 220170kg/N overnight from January 1, 2026. I can’t guarantee that, however.”
Responding, Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard said sudden changes were seen in the cut to stocking rate limits from 250-220kg/N this year and, for many farmers, it was done when the breeding season was over and many didn’t know where they stood.
Meanwhile, Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice said the huge changes in the rules and regulations faced by farmers are causing huge uncertainty in the sector.
“Farmers cannot keep adapting to that type of a scenario. There needs to be a clear road if we are to keep enthusiasm in the sector,” he said. “When are we going to stop this drip-feed of information because it is knocking the socks out of the agricultural sector.
“Farmers need a clear path for the next five years, similar to that in CAP schemes.”
Committee chairman and Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill echoed this, saying the constant changing of rules and regulations is causing farmers huge uncertainty and anxiety. “Farmers just don’t know where they stand,” he said.
Callanan accepted “there is a lot coming at farmers” and said “I don’t think anybody would challenge that reality”. However, he pushed back on the issue of recent changes to nitrates excretion limits and said this was initiated by the Department at the behest of stakeholders in the industry.
“We have to make the changes as understandable as possible. We have a requirement under legislation to improve water quality. We all share the ambition of securing the Derogation, and it behoves us all to look forward.”
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue told the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) AGM “we can’t give an absolute assurance as it’s not in our gift in relation to the Derogation. It is something we apply for and have to secure. So we can’t be 100pc certain in relation to that. All we can do is ensure we are taking every action that’s going to be required to ensure we do keep that 220kgN/ha.
Steps
“That means taking all the steps we need to take and can take in terms of water management at farm level and ensure it is applied across the board”.
The Minister said Ireland must “put ourselves in a position where we get to the end of 2025 [and] we have the ground as well prepared as possible to hold that 220kg. I am confident we can do that, but you give a 100pc assurance in terms of investment decisions right now, and that is a challenge.
“For us to be able to manage water quality, we need to make sure people have sufficient storage for their needs because if you don’t have sufficient storage for what your farm is carrying, then you are not going to be a position to do the right thing.”