Counties that have seen the greatest level of dairy intensification will face tougher nitrates rules in the coming years, a Department of Agriculture official has warned.
Senior Department inspector Jack Nolan said dairy expansion in counties Cork, Tipperary, and Kilkenny has had an impact on water quality.
“People might say that 20 years ago we had the same number of stock, and we did, but they weren’t all localised, or in the Golden Vale, or the southeast of the country,” Nolan told a Fertilizer Association of Ireland webinar on Tuesday.
“And when we take actions in the future these actions will have to be targeted. There’s no point in asking somebody up in Roscommon or Mayo to cut back on fertiliser.”
Jack Nolan, voice of Notre Dame, announces retirement
Jack Nolan, the voice of Notre Dame athletics, announced he will be retiring at the end of this year’s men’s basketball season.
“I have been truly blessed to have been associated with the Notre Dame Athletics Department for 39 seasons,” Nolan said. “I will be forever grateful to all the athletes, coaches, colleagues and fans who have been so wonderful to me over the years. However, the time has come for my wife Rhonda (Brown) and I to live a more normal life. We want to get off the road and off the nights, weekends and holidays work schedule we have both navigated for so long. We hope to indulge our passion for travel, our desire to be warm during Michiana winters and be able to spend much more time with family and friends.”
Farmers have been “pushed down a road of intensification” because of lowering food prices over the last three decades, a top Department of Agriculture inspector has stated.
And it will now take a “whole of sector” approach to produce more environmentally-friendly food to meet the demands of current and future consumers.
Jack Nolan senior inspector at the Department made this point in his presentation on fertiliser use and the EU’s Green Deal during yesterday’s Fertilizer Association of Ireland’s spring scientific meeting.
Reflecting on pre-intensification farming practices in Ireland, Mr Nolan said farmers “used to do a lot more about soil science” when tractors were not as strong and when chemical fertilisers were not as cheap or as freely available.
Si Cunningham. Picture: Tim Smith SI CUNNINGHAM, Bradford 2025 bid development manager, looks at cultural programmes planned for the district. “As Bradford endures the dark days of another lockdown, it’s difficult to imagine a time when we’re free to enjoy the things we love doing around our district. A lazy Saturday at the cinema. A pint after trekking over the moors above Haworth. An intimate concert at Kala Sangam. For now, these are distant fantasies. Yet behind the scenes, a small army of creatives, cultural leaders, and custodians of our greatest attractions are working hard to ensure that Bradford’s culture offer is bigger, more diverse, and better than ever once we’re all able to enjoy it fully again.
The Fertilizer Association of Ireland moves online with its spring scientific meeting this year.
Entitled A new era in nutrient management , the webinar will be held on Tuesday 2 February.
As always there is a mix of speakers providing the practical perspective of the farmer, as well as input on research and policy.
Speakers
Jack Nolan from the Department of Agriculture will talk about fertiliser use and the green deal. Under the EU s Farm to Fork strategy, fertiliser use has to be reduced by 20% by 2030.
William Burchill from Teagasc Moorepark will talk about getting the best out of all nitrogen sources.