Good weather and high prices across many sectors meant there was a lot of positivity among farmers at last week’s Balmoral Show.However, it was inevitable that conversations quickly turned to the proposals set out by DAERA in the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) and, in particular, the implications of a new requirement for intensive farms to operate within strict limits for phosphorus (P).
Good weather and high prices across many sectors meant there was a lot of positivity among farmers at last week’s Balmoral Show.
However, it was inevitable that conversations quickly turned to the proposals set out by DAERA in the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) and, in particular, the implications of a new requirement for intensive farms to operate within strict limits for phosphorus (P).
New limits of 10kg P/ha/year, falling to 8kg P, will be very challenging, even if brought in over a 20-year period, but to expect the industry to comply with 8kg/ha by 2029 looks incredibly difficult. There is a real danger in all of this that a lot of farmers simply decide the target is impossible to meet, so why would you even bother to try.
A similar warning was given by the former chair of the UK Climate Change Committee, Lord Deben when he told local politicians not to proceed with a net zero greenhouse gas target, as it would be almost impossible to achieve.
Lord Deben’s advice was ignored on the back of short-term political opportunism, leaving NI stuck with bad legislation and targets that cannot be met.
We must avoid something similar happening again.
To do that will require leaders both from within DAERA and also from the wider farming industry in NI to step forward, recognising there are issues to be addressed and practical solutions to be delivered.
One of those solutions is to separate slurry on farms, taking the solid fraction to anaerobic digestion, where the resultant digestate is dried down and ultimately processed, creating a high P product that can be sold outside of NI.
But there are many barriers still to be overcome before this becomes reality, especially around planning, but also finance and government funding – none of it will be delivered in the timescale envisaged for new P limits in the NAP proposals.
That said, we must make progress. Some other perfect solution is not about to emerge.
SHARING OPTIONS