It appears that the future of the nitrates derogation isn’t solely dependent on water quality anymore. The latest potential requirement from the European Commission appears to broaden it’s focus on the Habitats Directive and Natura 2000 land.

The full details remain to be seen but it’s yet another layer of uncertainty to add to the lot of a farmer in derogation.

If this is a requirement now, what’s to come if there’s another mid-term review or even what hoop will bureaucracy find in four years’ time, provided the current incarnation is successfully renewed.

The uncertainty around policy has become a certainty at this stage and a farming business needs to be much more flexible than it used to be in the past. Policy isn’t on its own as a creator of uncertainty these days. This decade is proving to be a roller coaster for both policy and markets as the fallout from global events appear to impact on every townland.

COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the maelstrom that has taken hold of the Middle East, have all impacted on how farmers do business.

Beef prices like we’re seeing this year might hold, given the lower cattle population across Europe and the continuing trickle off in the number of farmers, but there’s no guarantee they will stay there. That means, focusing on cost reduction, where possible, is one of the main levers of control a drystock farm has on profitability. The fertiliser price increase in 2022 on the back of the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call on me, one that made me focus in on reducing dependence on bought-in fertiliser where possible.

Replacement heifers on Tommy Moyles' farm at Ardfield, Clonakilty, Co Cork.

It’s not easy and I’ve been a bit braver mainly on the back of always having a good back up of fodder in the yard. Nitrogen fertiliser is now largely confined to the silage ground. That’s where it’s been used on only so far this year and it was the same in 2023.

Last year some of the grazing ground got it too as a fallback when cool temperatures prevailed and clover didn’t do what it usually does.

Up until August last year, it proved very challenging to grow clover. It recovered well once temperatures picked up but the best part of the growing season was passed at that stage.

I’m at it a good while now and 2024 was by far the trickiest year to grow it.

At this stage there are a number of paddocks that have been driven by clover-only for six years.

I’ve a relatively good handle on clover but it’s certainly got more challenges than grass alone. There’s some paddocks where it’s motoring nicely, but others where no matter what I do I can’t seem to get it right. They’ll need a bit more investigating to see what I’m doing wrong.

The usual farm plan changed on the back of this too. Where once an attempt was made to take at least one cut of bales from every paddock on the home block as well as set silage ground, now topping has re-entered the equation and there’s two or three cuts taken from the outside blocks. It’s easier than trying to move cows and young calves on the road when labour is scarce.

Silage ground comes back into the grazing mix from late summer when rotations lengthen and demand increases as calves get bigger. Most of the silage is wrapped up now and it will largely be third-cuts from the outside blocks now unless there is a mad burst of late growth.