Fair play to them, farming at la forge on YouTube have made a good go at it too out in France since moving over. Saying that it’s a totally different culture and you’d really want to love farming and something tells me there might not be a whole pile to do outside of farming if you were to make such a change of scenery. Horses for courses.
Is there a big dairy area up in the Wicklow mountains or why is it marked for the 220kh N/ha reduction?
Dairy intensity irrelevant to the risks of water issues this it seems. Bandon, Clonakilty, Listowel, Adare, Castlelyons, Tallow, Kanturk, West Clare, Macamore area Wexford all big dairy areas, all at 250.
Science based.
It's not really but it's let on it is by the epa.
Donald Trump was let loose with a "sharpie" on a map of Ireland and they went with it.
Could it be forestry. Amazed that our area of north Kerry is out, one of the most intensive dairy areas in the country.
We're fairly intensive in our part of Waterford too but we're also in the white area. The river Mahon runs across the county from the Comeragh mountains to Bunmahon village on the coast and it supplies nearly half of Waterford with water, so I'm assuming it's regularly tested.
Could be maybe.
Own feeling is they were told draw up a map that gets the 220 across the line and accepted by the farming unions.
For all the talk of farming representation on this forum this map to me says officialdom still takes reactions of farm unions into play.
There's no science to me in the map just a way of getting 220 accepted.
It looked good too to show European ministers who'd be clueless.
For the talk of water bodies and representatives they do occasionally test water. So yes it would. Probably twice a week for drinking water sources.
Nothing to do with me
Map has nothing to do with derogation farms. It has to do with risk to water quality.
The action by Gov/Commisson/dept has been singularly on derogation farms though.
Action required should point at slurry storage, tillage cover cropping and sewage plants. Without serious action on all 3, the cow will continue in her vulnerable position of being the eco terrorist.
Reduction to 220 has no chance of acheiving any water quality result, and you have to wonder if that's the result that the powers that be want from this..
Not sure it'll make any difference but the man from the county council who spoke at our water quality meeting last week said Irish Water were taking over responsibility for water from the council in the coming days.
If I had to guess, I'd say this will add to the randomness, bureaucracy, and political aspects of water quality. And further away from straightforward testing and science.
With all the talk from enviros and the likes advising livestock farmers to consider tillage, look at the map issued yesterday. All the traditional tillage counties are more or less all gone down to 220. North Kerry an intensive dairy area all basically escapes bar ardfert which has a lot of tillage ground…if it is in fact based off water samples what does that tell you??
Supplying Dublin drinking water to the likes of Leo and cabbage head Ryan. No other reason
Industrial conifer forestry is indeed a major water quality pressure in many upland water catchments, especially on acid soils. TBF to the EPA they have not been shy in highlighting that element of the overall rather sorry picture on water quality trends here in recent years
France looking more attractive to buy to farm.
C'mon lads we can do it. We'll name it Ireland with grapes.
Farmers can have all the storage in the world but if slurry is spread in wrong conditions theres only one place it will end up.I agree reduceing to 220 will have absolutely no effect on water quality .
Spreading slurry in wrong conditions is a symptom of a shortage of storage.
My dad always says you can spend all the money in the world on slurry storage but 1 massive shower of rain and everything runs into nearest river, not all farm run off, sewerage systems can't cope with heavy rainfall either
I see fellas on Snapchat out last night spraying tillage ground in the dark. It's raining now before daylight. The plants had no way of taking that spray up before rainfall. The Green party in Ireland is now campaigning in Europe to remove Ireland's glyphosate derogation. Can we link both events together?
The biggest threat to one farmer is the bad action of another farmer.
Increased slurry storage will always help. A bit extreme, you could even go multi year storage.
They would be incorrect if the limit is dropped to 220 or back to 200 or 170 there will be less slurry produced.
If that happened then there wound be less cows on farms. Farmers would adjust farming systems and there wound be less supplementary feeding indoors during the grazing season.
That is the warped sort of state IFA make in a debate and are made look idiots by environmental contributors.
Of course it will have an effect on water quality
The genius who who out knowledges the agriculture scientists..🤥
It is highly likely we will see more of a move to high imput high volume milking.its happening already due to restricted land base and banding is only going to add to it.the n71 was flat out with maize heading west yesterday. what are lads going to do stand still or go backwards. Many of these businesses were formed during the quota years when anyone with any sense would have walked away.they will find a way
I'm getting a new 3 phase connection in fir new milking parlour. I've to register with a supplier, is 3 phase dearer than normal single phase per unit and who's the best to go with. Am with electric Ireland for other supply
They will find a way till money runs out seen it over the years asking myself how can such a farmer be making money eg 20km silage draws it doesnt last long.
Not on 3 phase but on a very good rate with waterpower atm.
Drawing bales longer than that last 15 years depends on circumstances.
Not always
Humour me..
Are they back taking on new customers?
Drawing them 13kms here. Adds €2 per bale on haulage. I stack them on hardcore there and draw them as I need them myself. Sell surplus from there. Draw them in the dry period when things are slacker.
I also take pit silage home from there. About 50 acres give or take. Costs less than €1000 extra as against short draws. Its not the breakings of my system let me tell you.
