Nitrates

Back in spring, the Department announced that it was changing the excretion rates for youngstock and for cows fed low crude protein concentrates. Both measures are contained in the public consultation document published last week, which says that both will be implemented “with immediate effect”.

The changes mean that annual excretion rates for all cattle in their first year will be 21kg N, down from 24kg N previously.

For cattle in their second year, the figures are split based on males or females. It is 55kg for females and 61kg for males. These changes will help farmers that are close to the edge or barely over the limit to come underneath.

The other change is that farmers who opt to feed low crude protein concentrates will have lower N excretion rates per cow, based on the level of crude protein (CP) that they feed.

This is based on an average throughout the full year, not just through the summer months when 15% is the maximum that can be fed (dropping to 14% on all holdings from next year).

Slurry storage

The first year of findings in the Teagasc slurry storage on-farm trial is set to be published in the coming days. The initial report is likely to say that the current slurry storage requirements are underestimated, and that additional storage is required.

It means that dairy farmers who have sufficient storage today, will need to increase it by 20% or 30% in order to comply with future rules, which is substantial.

Researcher Patrick Tuohy from Teagasc will be at Dairy Day on 21 November to discuss the report, and we will go through costings and requirements.

The Department is bringing in a new 60% grant aid under TAMS for slurry storage, with a €90,000 investment limit set to be in place from next January.

In addition to this, the Department says that standalone slurry storage facilities will be considered ‘exempted developments’ meaning they won’t require planning permission.

Dairy Day

It’s all systems go for Dairy Day next Thursday 21 November at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork city. Good weather, good milking prices and plenty of grass have lifted the mood of everyone after a difficult 12 months.

Tickets are available to purchase online at www.ifj.ie/dairyday24 or by phoning 01 4199505. Full ticket price is €20, but subscribers and weekly readers can use the discount code DAIRYDAY10 to get €10 off the price.