The number of farmers applying for a nitrates derogation is up by almost 10%, with 7,302 farmers applying this year. Department of Agriculture figures show that applications are up from the 6,723 that applied last year. The increase come as Cork farmers were reminded that non-compliance with the derogation, by a small cohort of farmers, has led to increased regulation.

The meeting on Friday night last was hosted by the three Cork IFA county executives and was attended by association president, Tim Cullinan, director of policy/chief economist, , Tadhg Buckley and Dairy executive Áine O’Connell.

Responding to a question from the floor regarding the increased demands placed on farmers, Áine O’Connell said: “There is a very strict definition of soiled water in the nitrates directive. It goes down to the milligrams of nitrogen per litre that can be in soiled water. Unfortunately, we had people spreading soiled water which was very brown and that is why they’re going after soiled water.”

Earlier on Friday, an on-farm information event for politicians demonstrating the financial implications of what reduction of the organic nitrogen limit will have, was held on a dairy farm. They were also given a background to why the nitrates derogation was introduced.

IFA Cork central chair Conor O’Leary said: “We used case studies of an individual farm, a discussion group and the wider dairy farming catchment to show the knock-on effects reducing the organic nitrogen limit to 220kg N/ha could have.

“We also told them that the county with the most dairy cows and derogation farms is Cork and the county with the best river quality is Cork. There’s no match up between numbers of cows, derogation farms and water quality.”