Compliance with rules on Nitrates

THE Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has announced that End of Year Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements (N&P Statements) for January to December 2018 are now available on the Department’s online system.

These figures will not have taken into consideration any documentation submitted to the Department by December 31 of last year.

These statements are particularly useful to allow farmers to plan for the coming year and to ensure compliance with the limits of the Nitrates Regulations, thus avoiding penalties for breaching the limits of 170 kgs of Nitrogen per hectare or the limit for those who hold an approved derogation is 250 kgs of Nitrogen per hectare .

Farmers who exceeded the limits or came close to the limits in 2018 should consider applying for a derogation in 2019 which caters for farming to apply livestock manure on a holding (including by the animals themselves) above 170kg N/ha/year up to 250kg N/ha/year.

The closing date is March 31.

Log on to www.agfood.ie to view the statements.