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Nitrates Derogation Scheme
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Ireland’s nitrates derogation provides farmers an opportunity to farm at higher stocking rates when they take extra steps to protect the environment. In effect a farmer must not exceed 2 dairy cows per hectare without a derogation but can farm at almost 3 cows per hectare if approved for a derogation.
The derogation is available to grassland farmers on an individual basis and permits farmers up to 250 kgs of organic nitrogen per hectare, rather than the 170 kg livestock manure nitrogen per hectare without the derogation.
To qualify for a derogation Nitrates Derogation the applicant must:
- be farming a holding that is at least 80% grass
- have grazing livestock – derogation is only available in respect of grazing livestock
- make an annual online application to the Department in the format specified and no later than 24 April 2020 - no postal applications will be accepted
- not import livestock manure even in processed form
- accept the terms and conditions before submitting your application
- adhere to all legislative requirements
- have sufficient storage for all livestock manure, soiled water and silage effluent
- participate in an approved environmental training course by 2021
The derogation requires farmers to comply with the scheme Conditions on:
- nutrient management
- soil testing and management
- manure and slurry spreading
- grassland management
- biodiversity
The Nitrates Derogation Review has introduced further requirements for derogation farmers who must:
- adopt a farm scale liming programme from 2020
- use low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment for all slurry spread after 25 April, 2020
- reduce the crude protein in concentrate feed for grazing livestock with a maximum of 16% crude protein permissible between 1 April and 15 September, 2020.
Derogation farmers must also:
- exclude commonage/rough grazing from the derogation allowance of 250 kg N/ha
- participate in an approved environmental training course by the end of 2021
- participate in grassland management requirements from 2020, including grass measuring and annual grass production recording
- alternatively, if derogation farmers haven’t the required skills to undertake this measure, they must participate in grassland management training which must be completed by the end of 2021
- incorporate clover in any newly reseeded swards on derogation 2020
- adopt at least one measure from the All Island Pollinator Plan in order to enhance biodiversity on farms.
The closing date for the 2020 scheme was 24 April. Applications for the Nitrates Derogation are processed online via agfood.ie.
Fertiliser Accounts 2019
No paper application will be accepted. Derogation will be withdrawn if accounts are not received on time.
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Further information in relation to Nitrates is available here.