Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Some studies have shown that washing powder is a big contribution to a similar chemical composition as round up. Also have alot of micro plastics making its way through effluent. Its starting to raise its head more. Hard to blame slurry for this but not talked about as much when it comes to water quality.

I would just like if blame was shared more accordingly . Agri sector is targeted more.

How friendly are those products used by professional powerwashing lads to wash a bit of green off yards and walls. Easiest thing to wash but it's soaked in this stuff first now as routine.

Big mistake.

One wonders how easily the fert industry rolled over on this..unless there’s a killing to be made on protected urea?
I would doubt that the Gov flew that kite without consulting the fert industry first.

Meanwhile Dublin Airport needs the passenger cap lifted…

All sewerage treatment plants are planned to discharge directly at some stage during sufficiently large storm events. The normal design of a treatment plant will be for a known quantity of people within the catchment area of the plant, with a specified storm storage volume, which is in a storm situation volumes above the maximum treatment capacity is stored, to later go through the treatment process after the storm event has passed.

At some point the storm storage capacity will be full and excess volumes will then go straight to the receiving water body. The theory is that this is so diluted that it poses no pollution threat.

The realities of sewage treatment in Ireland are that following huge investment in the late 90's early 00's very little has been invested in sewage treatment. Changes in population location has exasperated this. Loads of commuter towns have populations one and a half times the capacity of their local treatment plant or more, plus issues in the network where storm water infiltration is getting into sewers and going to a plant.

The above allied to the fact that tons of villages have no sewage treatment of any kind, shows the kind of investment required for the next 20 years. A local village near me has no proper sewage system. There were 8 council houses built with a single septic tank 35 years ago, there's now 32 houses there on the same septic tank which simply overflows to a nearby stream. There is another block of 8 council houses, a private scheme of 18 houses, about 10 old detached houses, a primary school, two shops and a pub. To connect all of these into a single scheme and install a treatment plant is large work.

Irish Water is trying to develop Reed Bed schemes as a low cost, especially low cost in ongoing energy costs as the go to method for villages.

Well since the experts in the “Water Quality” working group are making this recommendation….

Can someone enlighten me how spreading fertiliser with additional chemicals in it is going to improve water quality??

Farming is becoming like death by 1000 cuts

Hill farmers were saying its too heavy on hilly ground causing a health and safety risk which I'd agree. Also with the LESS your more concentrated on flatter fields as you won't be able to spread steep ground, dangerous also trying to turn on a flat bit at the top or bottom of the field with the LESS as u have to lift the back iykwim. We'll over 300 at the meeting from what I gather.It's not economically viable for guys to have upgrade their tractors 50hp and pay for a new slurry tank also. The benefits of the mocha system were also discussed

Will can be next?

I’m actually considering giving up- fed up with the regulations

I water down urea and spray it on as foliar- this results in 60% less fert usage- you can’t water down protected urea as the fumes off it have killed 4 farmers in France

I might drop the cow numbers to 60 so my brother can continue to farm on his own with no rental land

Everyone else seems to be making money off the farmers back

Unfortunately my love of farming is being eroded

I feel exactly the same Stan. Its a pity because I have a massive grá for it. I can walk back in the door of an €80k job any time I like and take it handier. Plough the drier land, about 60 acres, and buy cattle and summer graze the rest, about 80 acres thats not suitable for tillage.

2 years and I am completely debt free here and between the job and herself working as well, let them go and sh1te.

debt free here and herself is working as a teacher

Priced a new and second hand teleporter as mine has seen better days- even a second hand is coming in at 1600 a month

Exactly.

Think they are planning to leave the lower % urea with sulphur unprotected.