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Farmers in NI who continue to apply phosphorus (P) containing chemical fertiliser without any proof of crop need run the risk of cross-compliance fines under new plans being drawn up within DAERA, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.
Up to now, while it has been a legal requirement for farmers to have soil tested, and be able to prove that a crop needs additional P, it has not been covered off in cross-compliance standards. That looks likely to change next year.
In addition, a new Nitrates Action Programme (and associated phosphorus regulations) is expected to be agreed by the spring of 2019.
The main driver behind tighter P rules is continuing concern about the amount leaking into waterways, with the latest government statistics (from September 2018) showing that almost 8% of river water bodies in NI were showing early indications of deterioration this year due to increased levels of P. A Stormont Executive Office report published in December described this as “a cause for concern” and said it was “highly likely” that the situation could be worsened due to higher concentrate feeding in 2018 as a result of fodder shortages and summer drought.
Source
There are two main sources of this excess P. The first is from P in concentrate diets fed to livestock, which ends up in slurry spread on the land. The second source is from P containing fertiliser.
The thinking in DAERA is that it is much easier to tackle the issue of P in fertiliser, than try to reduce concentrate feeding on NI farms, hence the new rules in 2019.
It will mean that anyone who wants to spread chemical P on a field will require a valid soil test (taken in the last four years). In general, on most grassland, where P index is 2 or above, there is no need to apply chemical P, and doing so is a waste of money, as well as potentially detrimental to the environment. However, the advice varies slightly dependent on whether the field is for cutting or grazing, and also whether slurry is being applied.
It is our understanding that farmers who want to use P might actually be required to produce a full nutrient management plan for the farm, as is currently required by anyone applying for a nitrates derogation to spread more than 170kg of manure nitrogen per hectare.
Ammonia
However, the use of P fertiliser is not the only environmental concern, with much of the focus also on ammonia emissions. The Department is soon due to publish an action plan on ammonia. Among a number of measures, it is expected to propose a ban on the use of splash plates to spread slurry, to be gradually phased in over the next few years, starting initially with slurry put through anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.
Environment bill
Meanwhile, Defra secretary Michael Gove is pressing ahead with his plans to deliver “a green Brexit”, publishing last week a set of draft clauses ahead of a new environment bill due in 2019. The main feature of the legislation is the establishment of a new independent environment body (the Office for Environmental Protection) to implement environmental law.
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