Cullinan’s firm stance on nitrates issue as Derg algal blooms persist

Discussions between the Toomevara based President of the IFA Tim Cullinan and the Tánaiste Micheál Martin on the impact of nitrates use in the Horse and Jockey hotel hosting the Fianna Fáil ‘think-in’ in the North Tipperary village last week could not have been a more appropriate venue to air problems with fertiliser use on farms.

Mr Martin was pressed into leaving his party’s meeting on Monday of last week to meet a delegation led by Mr Cullinan after the latter demanded talks with the Tánaiste.

Mr Martin’s decision to leave the think-in  to meet Mr Cullinan was only made after the IFA President decided not to engage with the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and local Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill, the Chairman of the all-part Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, who had first come out to receive the delegation.

As scores of protesting farmers arrived, Mr Cullinan insisted on speaking with the Tánaiste who subsequently came out of the ‘think-in’ to meet with the farmers were, among other issues, protesting against a reduction in the maximum amount of nitrogen fertiliser allowed per hectacre under the EU’s Nitrates Directive.

Farmers in Ireland have a derogation on nitrate use under the Directive, but it is being reduced from 250kg to 220kg per hectare from next year. The EU has said it would not revisit the lowering of the threshold, pointing out that Ireland is one of three states that gets a derogation from the Directive.

Mr McConalogue says he will now try to maintain the 220kg limit for dairy farmers as Ireland faces the risk of having it lowered to 170kg per hectare - the limit that applies in most states - from 2026.

It is estimated that about 3,000 dairy farmers will be affected by the changes to the Directive, which will result in them having to reduce their herd size or find additional land.

One of the reason given by the Commission in not retaining the upper limit is due to the levels of pollution in Irish water courses, including rivers, lakes and estuaries.

The Environment Protection Agency has said that while the problems caused to waterways by nitrogen and phosphorous come from many sources, agriculture runoffs are the biggest source of these pollutants.

During the stand-off Mr Cullinan, warning that the IFA was not going to stand by and see farmers lose their livelihoods, told Mr McConalogue: “Remember where you are this morning. You are in the Golden Vale at the heart of farming in Ireland. This is the heartbeat of rural Ireland down here in Tipperary.”

LOUGH DERG

The setting for the stand-off could not have been more appropriate as North Tipperary is home to some of the country’s largest dairy farms but also the crown jewel of its beautiful rural landscape is Lough Derg, the largest lake on the River Shannon, which is currently having its own problems due to enrichment caused by nutrients from various sources, including poor sewage treatment and other sources, such as agriculture.

Under government policy to drastically increase food exports, farmers were encouraged to borrow huge sums of money to invest in facilities and stock to produce extra milk following the abolition of the milk quotas in 2015 and are now fearful for their livelihoods as the EU reduces the derogation which leaves them having to acquire more land or reduce cow numbers.

PROTECTING THE LAKE

On the others side of the coin is the need to protect watercourse such as Lough Derg, vital for local tourism and for everyone to enjoy water based recreation, but which is currently pea-green for weeks due to algal blooms sparked by excessive enrichment from nitrates and phosphorous.

Last month Tipperary County Council issued a warning notice in regard to the toxic blooms and since then many lake users, especially swimmers, have been derprived of the amenity.

“The blue green algae bloom can produce harmful toxins and is most easily recognised when it forms a bright pea-green paint like scum on or close to the shoreline,” the council stated.

It warned that contact with these blooms should be avoided as it may cause skin irritation. It said animals should be kept away from the affected areas, especially dogs which can die within minutes of drinking water containing the toxins.

Meanwhile, Clare County Council, acting on the advice of the HSE, imposed a swimming ban at the Ballycuggeran bathing area on the lake, forcing the cancellation of the annual Shannon Swim which was due to take place earlier this month.

Ballycuggeran is a “Blue Flag” bathing area, but the prohibition had to be introduced due to the presence of an algal bloom in area.

While pollution of local rivers and lakes emanates from many sources, the contribution of agriculture is something the government and the EU are keenly aware of as they seek to strike a balance between protecting the livelihoods of farmers and caring for an environment in a county such as Tipperary which has the second highest population of dairy cows in the country. It may be a hard balance to strike, with Tipperary has the second highest cattle population after Cork. The Premier County is home to over 160,000 dairy cows and a total cattle population of around 679,000.