The rules imposed on farmers who are abstracting water from rivers and lakes are set to tighten under a bill due to be brought before the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.

Under the new rules, a licence will be needed to draw more than 2m litres per day from a waterbody.

Given that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that a 100-cow dairy farm uses approximately 160 times less water on the average day, this abstraction limit is unlikely to affect many farmers.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing told the Irish Farmers Journal that a licence may be needed for abstracting lower volumes if a waterbody fails to meet the standards set out under the Water Framework Directive.

This could have abstraction implications for those wishing to abstract water from rivers with poorer water quality or during periods of low rainfall.

The timeline for enactment will be dependent on its progress through the Oireachtas.

The Department of Housing told the Irish Farmers Journal that farmers should check their compliance with the rules governing water abstraction already in place.

By law, a farmer must register a water abstraction of over 25,000l with both their local authority and the EPA.

Once-off abstractions of more than 25,000l do not need to be registered but they cannot be repeated. Those farming in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) or Special Protection Areas (SPA) are also currently required to obtain consent from the Minister for Housing to abstract water.