The battle of the complicated buffer rules

Buffer zones can be really confusing for farmers, as there are a number of different rules for buffers under CAP and nitrates and some of these rules are difficult to understand when it comes to deciding on drains and watercourses.

3m buffer

All tillage farmers are required to leave a 3m margin by a watercourse under CAP. The margin should be from the top of the bank (see Figure 1). These watercourses are marked with a blue line on the OSI maps. Some of these buffers are marked on the BISS maps you receive from the Department, but not all of them.

This falls under GAEC 4 of conditionality rules and can result in penalties to your BISS, if not complied with. Under CAP you cannot spread fertiliser within 3m of any surface waters.

Catch crop buffers

Another conditionality rule is GAEC 6, which aims to protect soil.

Under these rules, farmers grazing catch crops, forage crops like stubble turnips, rape and kale, or crops like beet over winter, must provide a lie-back for animals and implement buffers.

Figure 2 shows what is required. Firstly, the area being grazed needs to be 70% forage crops and 30% lie-back.

The lie-back can be in the same field or a separate field, but the animals must have access all the time. A 3m uncultivated buffer, allowing a green cover to develop is required around the perimeter of the field, beside the hedge, fence or the lane or road, etc.

No forage crop seeds should be sown in this area. This buffer does not need to be fenced.

Beside a watercourse a 3m grass margin should already be in place.

This buffer needs to be extended by 1m. This can be uncultivated with a natural green cover and again should not contain a forage crop. On farms with stocking rates over 170kg/ha, this watercourse needs to be fenced 1.5m from the top of the bank (see figure 3).

Farmers should also make sure animals are moved during wet weather to ensure the soil is not poached.

A back fence should be used where needed.

Under nitrates, farmers are required to provide buffers beside drains and watercourses to protect water quality and phosphorus run-off. On tillage farms, fertiliser or plant protection products cannot be applied within 3m of a watercourse or drains.

Nitrates does not require this to be an uncultivated buffer, but to prevent grass weeds build-up, many farmers leave this buffer as grass. All watercourses require this buffer, but all drains do not require it.

Teagasc says this buffer includes temporarily dry drains which are dry for more than three months of the year.

This buffer extends to 6m for late harvested crops harvested after 15 September like beet, maize and potatoes, see Figure 4.