There is no scope to raise proposed limits on phosphorus (P) balance for 3,500 intensive farms in NI, a DAERA official has said.

At a meeting in Cookstown on Tuesday, Brian Ervine from DAERA said a key aim of the new Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) was to avoid the buildup of surplus P in agricultural soils.

“What is in the soil has a big impact on what is in the water. In NI, 70% of the land is farmed so what happens on agricultural land will have an impact on water quality,” he said.

The most contentious proposal in the draft NAP is for intensive farms in NI to reach a P balance of 10kg/ha in 2027, reducing to 8kg/ha by 2029 onwards.

P balance is effectively a measure of P inputs on to farms, through concentrates and fertiliser, minus P exports, such as milk, beef, grain and straw sales.

At Tuesday’s meeting, DAERA officials heard concerns from the floor that farmers will have to significantly reduce livestock numbers to comply with the proposed new NAP rules.

In his presentation, Ervine said P levels in waterways was the main water quality issue in NI and the proposed P balance limits in the NAP were based on scientific evidence.

“Higher limits would not be effective in preventing the further buildup of soil P on these farms and would therefore lead to more diffuse pollution,” he said.

However, with the draft NAP currently out for public consultation, Ervine suggested there could be scope to amend other aspects of the proposed P balance limits.

“What time scale you use to stop it (P buildup in soils) and how you get there is another question,” he said.

Surplus

The latest figures from DAERA show that total P inputs on NI farms equates to 15,427t and P outputs amount to 8,305t, meaning an overall P surplus of 7,122t.

Breaking down the total P inputs on to NI farms, 84% comes from bought-in concentrate feed and 16% is from fertiliser.

Cutting out the P that comes from fertiliser, which equates to 2,458t in total, is seen by DAERA as a quick way to lower the P surplus.

The draft NAP proposes effectively banning P fertiliser in most instances, so farmers with a P deficit will need to import slurry from intensive farms.

“It is a straightforward way to reduce P surplus and saves the farmer money if they are not buying in fertiliser that is not needed,” Ervine said.

“There is enough P in the system already. It is a question of distribution,” he added.

Surplus P on farms linked to pollution

Scientific studies have found “a very strong relationship” between the P levels in waterways and the P balance of surrounding farms, a leading soil scientist has said.

In Cookstown on Tuesday, Dr Rachel Cassidy from the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) presented research which showed that surplus P is continuing to build up on NI farms.

She highlighted results from soil sampling projects which were undertaken in the Upper Bann catchment and found 62% of P indexes in fields had increased over a five-year period.

Evidence

“All evidence shows that the P surplus has to reduce. We can’t keep bringing more P in because there is nowhere else for it to go,” Cassidy said.

DAERA under fire at first NAP meeting

The questions session at the first NAP information meeting saw DAERA subject to fierce criticism from attending farmers.

A key theme was that limits contained within the draft NAP could not realistically be met within the proposed timeframes unless livestock numbers reduced on farms.

“This is a policy to de-stock,” said Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president Glenn Cuddy.

Coleraine farmer Cyril Millar described the proposals as “disgraceful” while John Killen from Derry said the plan was “unworkable”.

The lack of an economic impact assessment was raised amid concerns about the wider knock-on effect of reduced output from NI farms.

Frustrations were aired that other sources of pollution, particularly sewage from NI Water’s waste treatment system, were not being addressed by the NI Executive.

Former AFBI chief executive Dr Sinclair Mayne reiterated his concerns that “appropriate supporting scientific evidence” was not published along with the NAP consultation.

He also questioned DAERA’s figures which show nitrates levels in waterways are rising, given that nitrogen fertiliser use on NI farms has fallen by 36% over the past 20 years.

“Is there a danger that we go in the same journey with P that, in 10-15 years, if we reduce the P surplus and kill the industry in the process, we are no better off than we are today?” he said.

Farmers also accused DAERA of not promoting its information events on the NAP consultation properly and for holding the meetings at unsuitable times of day.

The next two events are online webinars on Wednesday 28 May starting at 2pm and 7.15pm. An in-person meeting is taking place at Greenmount on Thursday 29 May at 2pm.