Frustration among farmers to rules surrounding the grazing of cover crops was clear at the Footprint Farmers farm walk held by the Irish Farmers Journal in Co Waterford last week.

Host farmer Pádraig Connery from Villierstown spoke about a move to growing cover crops and the advantages of grazing those crops. However, he was worried that new rules will make it difficult for livestock and tillage farmers to continue to work together.

“Some 24ha of cover crops were grazed by a local sheep farmer who had to fence the fields this year,” Connery said.

A 3m cultivated margin is required around the perimeter of the field.

The cover crop is then to be planted outside of this margin. For watercourses, a 4m margin is necessary. Additionally, for every 7ha of cover crop, a 3ha lieback area of grass or stubble is required.

“Who thought of all these stupid rules?” one farmer asked on the day, with many shouts of “hear, hear” in response from other farmers.

“The headlands need the cover crops for compaction issues,” Connery said, adding: “It’s a good thing to be planting cover crops. Farmers shouldn’t be tripped up with all these rules when they are trying to do the most for the soil.

“The rules will turn farmers off planting cover crops.”

Another farmer asked whether they could have a catch crop in the 3m margin, but this is not permitted.

These rules affect all cover crops sown and any farmers in the ACRES scheme are also hindered from grazing as they are not permitted to graze these crops until 1 January.

Another farmer spoke up to say: “[The Department of Agriculture] want the stubbles cultivated to stop leaching, to create a green cover. Where is the science behind this? Why are we loosening the soil for the phosphorus to run off it?”