Latest news with #NutrientActionProgramme
Agriland
06-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Almost 200 attend webinar launch of NI NAP impact calculator
Almost 200 farmers and other stakeholders from the agri-food industry attended an AgriSearch webinar this week to launch AgriSearch's NAP (Nutrient Action Programme) farm impact calculator. Opening the webinar, AgriSearch vice-chair Ian McCluggage outlined the considerable amount of work that AgriSearch had done in a relatively short timeframe to respond to the NAP consultation. This included presentations at an AgriSearch event at Balmoral Show. The vice-chair thanked Dr. Sinclair Mayne for the considerable amount of work he had put into helping AgriSearch respond to the consultation including an in-depth critique of the science behind the proposals. AgriSearch was coordinating its actions with key industry stakeholders. NAP farm impact calculator The NAP farm impact calculator has been developed by AgriSearch to help farmers assess the impact of the measures proposed for the 2026-2029 Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) NAP. The calculator is now available to download from the AgriSearch website. During the webinar AgriSearch strategy manager, Jason Rankin outlined the calculations that the tool performs and gave a practical, step-by-step guide on how to download and use the calculator and interpret the results. This includes a calculation of the organic nitrogen loading (using the updated figures for dairy cows) which will determine if a farmer falls into the 'intensive' category or will require a derogation. The calculator also determines the farm's proposed allowance for chemical N fertiliser and indicates if this is above or below the farm's current usage. Finally, the calculator works out the farm's phosphorus balance and indicates how many extra hectares or the extent of the stocking rate cut needed to achieve both the 10kg P/ha and 8kg P/ha limit. Rankin then went through a number of dairy farm case studies illustrating how different types of farm might be impacted by the NAP proposals. AgriSearch's agriculture manager John Morrow went through two examples of beef and sheep farming systems, which was followed by a questions and answer session. Closing the webinar Ian McCluggage said that AgriSearch would be working with industry partners to gather a number of farm case studies from across the ruminant livestock sector. These will be used as part of a wider economic impact assessment. He encouraged farmers to participate if approached and emphasised that all such case studies would be kept anonymous.
Agriland
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Agriland
Opposition mounts against draft NI Nutrient Action Programme
Opposition continues to mount against the draft Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) proposals announced recently by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister Andrew Muir. Last month Minister Muir launched a public consultation on the NAP for 2026-2029, which he said contains 'additional measures which have been developed based on scientific research'. The main additional measures include further restrictions on use of chemical phosphorus fertiliser and a farm phosphorus balance limit for more intensive farms. According to Minister Muir, research shows that around 62% of the high nutrient (phosphorus) levels in Northern Ireland's waterbodies 'come from agricultural sources'. Ahead of next week's Stormont debate on Tuesday June 10, Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart is urging farmers to contact their local MLAs. She said: 'These complex measures will ultimately force destocking, push farmers to rent or buy more land, and set impossible targets which will have far-reaching consequences across the entire agri-food sector. 'This is not only a 'hammer blow' for farmers, it's an 'industry bombshell' which will jeopardise food security and have a devastating impact on the Northern Ireland economy. 'Farmers turned out in force at Greenmount last week, but they need to stand-firm by completing the DAERA consultation which ends on July 24, and continuing to lobby politicians and industry leaders. 'This week my DUP colleague Michelle McIlveen MLA, launched the online petition 'Scrap the NAP' and successfully secured a debate in the Stormont Assembly,' Lockhart added. The MP has urged people to sign the petition and make their voices heard by contacting their local MLAs to speak out and vote in favour of the motion which calls on Minister Muir to stop the process and start again with a co-designed scheme. Opposition to Nutrient Action Programme The DUP agriculture, environment and rural affairs spokesperson added: 'I want to be absolutely clear that I fully condemn any abuse directed at Minister Muir in recent weeks. Personal attacks are never acceptable and they are not the answer. 'However, I will continue to challenge the minister and vehemently oppose the 2026 to 2029 NAP proposals. I urge others to do the same. 'This is a disastrous policy. It contains 30 draconian recommendations which are disproportionate, unworkable at farm level, and include top-heavy enforcement and financial penalties.' Lockhart claimed that the timeframes for the proposals are contradictory as peer-reviewed scientific evidence has shown a time lag of between four and 20 years for water quality change in medium-sized catchments to be properly assessed. 'Yet changes to farming practices are expected to show improvements within 12 months, otherwise penalties will be incurred,' she continued. 'The minister and his DAERA officials cannot ignore industry calls, especially as they didn't engage with stakeholders prior to publishing the NAP document and launching the consultation. 'An economic impact assessment should be carried out in advance of this consultation. The rules surrounding EIAs [Environmental Impact Assessments] are clear, any major development project, or activities that may have a significant effect on the environment.' Lockhart said that every farmer and industry stakeholder who contributed to the event at Greenmount last week was 'respectful, but anxious' about what lies ahead in the wake of the fourth NAP review. 'Minister Muir continuously reminds us that he wants to work alongside farmers, but shying away from attending the NAP information event was the wrong thing to do,' Lockhart continued. 'The meeting was the perfect opportunity to engage with the agricultural community and listen to their genuine concerns.' The MP added that the NAP has been in place for almost two decades, and according to the recent NI Environmental Statistics Report, improvements have been made. She commented that farmers have contributed to a significant fall in river nitrate levels, with 100% of NI rivers meeting EU standards for nitrates. 'There has also been a decrease in greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions attributed to agriculture. It's obvious that farmers do care, and are striving to protect our waterways and enhance the environment,' the MP added. The report highlighted that during 2024, 1,886 water pollution incidents were recorded, with 887 (47%) confirmed as having an impact on water quality. 'It is outrageous that farmers are continually used as scapegoats. Northern Ireland Water and the Department for Infrastructure must be held accountable, especially as the province's outdated system is at breaking point,' Lockhart said. 'Earlier this week, Minister Muir described NI Water as a corporate polluter, and said it should be treated as such. He added, and I quote, 'giving NI Water a by-ball is not tenable. The system must be honest and fair to all'. 'Farmers and the wider agri-food supply chain are demanding a suspension of the NAP consultation. 'The figures are questionable, prompting wide-spread calls for calculations to be quantified. There needs to be effective, round-table discussions with stakeholders to reach a more acceptable way forward.'
Agriland
04-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Farming group ‘not ruling out legal action' over NAP proposals for NI
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) is 'not ruling out legal action' in relation to new proposals contained in Northern Ireland's Nutrient Action Programme (NAP). The Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, launched a public consultation on the NAP for 2026 to 2029, last month, which he said contains 'additional measures which have been developed based on scientific research'. The main additional measures include further restrictions on use of chemical phosphorus fertiliser and a farm phosphorus balance limit for more intensive farms. According to Minister Muir research shows that around 62% of the high nutrient (phosphorus) levels in Northern Ireland's waterbodies 'come from agricultural sources'. But the UFU believes these new proposals could 'devastate local farming' – a view it conveyed during meetings this week with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in relation to the new NAP proposals. According to William Irvine, president of the UFU, the organisation also told Minister Andrew Muir this week during a meeting that the consultation process around the new NAP proposals has been 'deeply flawed'. (L-R) UFU president William Irvine and UFU deputy president John McLenaghan at Stormont Source: UFU Irvine added: 'There has been no economic impact assessment and no thorough engagement was carried out with stakeholders ahead of the consultation publication. 'The farming community acknowledge the need to improve water quality and we will play our part in a holistic approach, but we feel totally blindsided. 'Our members are frustrated that proposals of such magnitude have been brought forward without thorough analysis of the real-world impact on farm businesses, food production and rural livelihoods.' NAP According to the UFU the new NAP proposals could impact on thousands of farmers across Northern Ireland and result in many having to find more land for slurry spreading or cut their livestock numbers. Irvine has said the next step for the UFU is to its next 'course of action'. ''We are not ruling out legal action. 'Our members expect us to stand up for them, and that's exactly what we intend to do,' Irvine added.
Agriland
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Agriland
NI NAP proposals labelled ‘challenge' to farmers' way of life
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician Lord Tom Elliott has said that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) approach through the Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) proposals to farmers appears an 'out and out challenge to their way of life and livelihood'. Earlier this month, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir launched a public consultation on the NAP for 2026 to 2029, which he said contains 'additional measures which have been developed based on scientific research'. The main additional measures include further restrictions on use of chemical phosphorus fertiliser and a farm phosphorus balance limit for more intensive farms. Lord Tom Elliott said: 'We are aware that in many areas of life, including agriculture much action is required to improve the environment. 'I have always encouraged the minister to do that in cooperation with the farming sector, as opposed to direct confrontation. 'The farming community have already made significant progress towards reduction of nutrient and other positive environmental matters. However, they need the minister and DAERA to work with them as opposed to resistance of farmers. 'I agree with Dr. Sinclair Mayne, who is former CEO [chief executive] of the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute [AFBI] and former departmental scientific adviser for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development that it is essential that proposed new measures are based on robust science, based on peer-reviewed scientific papers, rather than subjective assessment,' Lord Elliott added. The UUP chairperson stressed that this was the basis for the first action programme agreed with the European Commission in 2007 and subsequent reviews. Elliott claimed that Dr. Mayne has detailed a number of areas where DAERA has not presented the appropriate scientific evidence base for the proposals. 'DAERA [has] done little to even attempt to persuade farmers of the merits of these most recent proposals; they seem more intent on pushing the farming community beyond what it can achieve, with little cooperation or working together,' he continued. 'I repeat my earlier calls, before it's too late for the minister to work with the farming sector, as opposed to him being seen by many farmers as an enemy to their way of life and someone who seems to many as set on destruction of the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland. 'The farming sector has so much to offer the entire society, it is vital that the DAERA and the agricultural community work together.'
Agriland
23-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
FFA requests meeting with NI agriculture minister on NAP
Farmers for Action (FFA) has requested a meeting with Stormont agriculture minister, Andrew Muir to discuss Northern Ireland's new Nutrient Action Programme (NAP). The organisation has welcomed the four-week extension to the public consultation, now underway, where the proposed suite of environmental measures are concerned. FFA spokesperson, William Taylor, told Agriland: 'We wrote to the minister with regard to NAP a number of days ago. Receipt of the letter has been confirmed.' According to Taylor, one third of Northern Ireland's active farmers are located within the Lough Neagh catchment area. He said: 'We will be making four main points to the minister. First of all, his department must adequately support all farming businesses regarding the final NAP measures that are implemented. 'In practical terms, this means introducing FFA's proposed Farm Welfare Bill. This has been designed to guarantee farmers sustainable prices on an ongoing basis allied with the capability of further investing in their businesses.' FFA is also calling for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to ensure that sufficient advisers are made available to work with farm businesses on an individual basis when it comes to the calculation of phosphate and nitrate loading levels across production agriculture. Taylor explained: 'The principle of DAERA being used as an enforcement agency in the first instance is fundamentally flawed. 'It is the job of department officials to work with farmers, advising them how to reach whatever NAP targets are agreed in a co-ordinated manner. 'These are matters which can only be addressed in the long-term – there is no short-term fix. And this fundamental fact must be realised by DAERA.' Organic manure And, finally, FFA wants the policies implemented where the use of organic manures are concerned, to be totally overhauled. 'In the first instance, there are large tracts of agricultural land across Northern Ireland that would actually benefit from an application of slurry. 'And this fundamental fact must be recognised by Minister Muir,' Taylor said. Significantly, FFA recognises that surplus quantities of farm manure are generated by agriculture in Northern Ireland. 'Solid materials, including poultry litter, can be exported back to those countries supplying the large tonnages of grain and other animal feed materials coming into Northern Ireland on an annual basis,' Taylor suggested. 'The boats delivering these grains in the first place can be used to export back the solid manures, on the basis that their cargo areas are suitable lined.' Taylor makes the point that countries like Brazil are short of organic manures needed to retain indigenous soil fertility basis. 'Receipt of the manures would ensure that countries like Brazil would be less likely to cut down virgin forest in order to maintain grain output levels. 'I see no reason why Brazil could not be asked to part fund the export of solid manures from Northern Ireland. 'Other financial contributors would include the members of the Northern Ireland's Grain Trade Association and the food processing sector,' Taylor said.
