Draft River Basin Management Plan 2022-2027 notes that “clarity is needed on the future role and scope of ASSAP”
As a result, an assessment of the programme is currently being prepared by Teagasc to be carried out by a panel of external experts.”
The assessment will review, examine, evaluate, comment and report on the rationale, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of ASSAP to date, along with recommendations for the future and its role and objectives under the third-cycle plan.
The assessment is due for completion before the end of 2021 and in time to influence any specific requirements for inclusion in the next plan.
ASSAP is also looking at ways of capturing data and actions from the advice given to farmers, especially spatial data, while retaining farmer confidentiality
AIE: copy of submissions to consultants and copy of final (13/3/22)
Note: fastest turnaround on an AIE ever, under 24hours !
External Expert Assessment of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP)
Membership of the Review Panel:
Chair: Prof Rory O’Donnell (Geary Institute, University College Dublin);
Dr Matt Crowe (former Director EPA);
Prof Phil Jordan (Professor of Catchment Science, Ulster University);
Mr Harold Kingston (dairy farmer and Munster Regional Chair of the Irish Farmers Association);
Dr Trish Murphy (Inishowen Rivers Trust);
Ms Orlaith Tynan (Head of Sustainability, Dairygold)
Steering Group:
Joe Crockett Dairy Sustainability Ireland
Billy Cronin Dairygold
Ray Spain LAWPRO
Carol McCarthy LAWPRO
Karl Cashen Tipperary Co Council
Colin Byrne DHLGH
Graham McGovern DHLGH
Donal Grant DHLGH
Jack Nolan DAFM
Bernard Harris DAFM
Jenny Deakin EPA
Mary Gurrie EPA
Pat Murphy Teagasc
Noel Meehan Teagasc
High-Level Findings and Recommendations
1. Develop and expand ASSAP: ASSAP should be further developed under the 3rd RBMP, expanding as additional PAAs are selected, with appropriate scientific support. Communications expertise should be engaged to consider naming, branding and promotional issues.
2. ASSAP should continue to focus primarily on water quality in the PAAs: Its objectives should be simplified to focus more on supporting farmers’ implementation of the right actions in the right place and demonstration of their impact on water quality.
3. Funding to support farmers’ implementation of Actions: Financial support, external to the ASSAP, needs to be available to enable farmers implement agreed actions recommended by ASSAP advisors.
4. Enhance the mainstream advisory services: The further development of ASSAP needs be accompanied by an accelerated enhancement and refocusing of the mainstream advisory services (both public and private) with a stronger focus on sustainability (economic, social and environmental) and on-farm and action-based engagement.
5. Continuous diagnostic review: the diagnostic flow-chart, designed jointly by ASSAP and LAWPRO staff, should be adopted formally as a tool for short-cycle assessment, review of progress in a PAA and identification of necessary network partners.
6. Spatial recording of recommendations and actions: ASSAP, supported by its partners organisations, should complete the move towards spatial recording of recommendations and actions taken.
7. Safe spaces to enhance transparency of the right actions in the right place and their impact: Use selected waterbodies as a safe space to explore and refine demonstration of the right actions in the right place and their impact on water quality.
8. Catchment-scale engagement, capacity building and planning: work to enhance the strength and capacity of catchment-level networks, so that catchment protection and management becomes embedded.
9. Funding of ASSAP: maintain the balance of funding from government and industry as ASSAP expands, keeping the relative contribution of each under review.
10. Demonstrating impact, informing policy and research: ASSAP should work with partner organisations to inform policy learning and research projects that are appropriate to experimental governance, linking iterative monitoring and review to higher-order long-term validation of the cumulative results of the overall approach to water governance.