There are 129,600 farms with 2.9 million fields in Ireland. 95,000 farms and 382,000 fields adjoin a watercourse; 73% of all farms have an on-farm watercourse.
Rules
- Where watercourses are currently unfenced, a fence must be erected at least 1.5m from the top of the bank;
- Existing fences must be moved out to at least 1.5m from the top of the watercourse bank;
- An exception to this is where an existing roadway runs parallel to a watercourse. The existing fence will suffice provided there is a fence on both sides of the roadway and the roadway is cambered away for the watercourse, along with an earthen bank between the roadway and watercourse;
- Bovines are still permitted to cross through watercourses provided both sides of the watercourse are fenced 1.5m back from the top of the bank, bovines cannot freely drink from the watercourse, and fences are in place to prevent bovines freely crossing or going up/down stream;
- All new and existing water troughs must be located at least 20m from watercourses.
Mandatory fencing on farms with a grassland stocking rate above 170 kg N/ha
Impact of Cattle Access to Watercourses: Literature Review
