Shortle, G. and Jordan, P. (2017). Agricultural Catchments Programme –
Phase 2 Report. Teagasc, Wexford
Potential AIE (draft)
Catchment selection criteria
Farm selection criteria
Data on the location of the sites
Summary reports on water quality in each catchment
Raw data generated from each site
Note: if testing in these catchments informs decision making on derogation herds, but the locations and raw data are unpublished it is impossible to do any analysis on the data, and related catchments
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, staff have been working with 300 farmers across six catchments in Ireland for over ten years.
The ACP was put into place to analyse the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) measures that were implemented under the EU Nitrates Directive.
Plant nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential for crop production. The implementation of the Nitrates Directive into Irish law regulates the management of these nutrients and aims to maintain productivity while improving water quality.
The main water quality challenges concerning nutrients are:
Leaching of N as nitrate from the soil into groundwater which can result in unacceptably high nitrate levels in drinking water
Runoff of soluble forms of N and P from soils or manure, or movement of P enriched soil to drainage channels, ditches or streams which can cause eutrophication
Eutrophication is the over-nourishment and subsequent growth of aquatic plants. It can be caused by excessive concentrations of N and P in water and lead to de-oxygenation of water-bodies, changes in ecological structure and an overall imbalance. Excessive N as nitrate in drinking water supplies can also be toxic above a maximum acceptable concentration.
Role:
The ACP was initiated to provide a comprehensive scientific evaluation of the GAP regulations in Ireland, while the catchments are representative of farming in all of Ireland. The use of N and P is an economic, aquatic environment and farm management concern. Therefore four component programme tasks are being undertaken with original data collection and assessments. These are:
Assessing how management trends, habits and attitudes are affected by the GAP regulations and what the perceived implications are for farm incomes
Investigating how nutrients at the soil and farm scale are influenced in terms of supply/availability and potential mobilisation to water
Defining the main pathways for mobilised nutrients in each farming catchment
Identifying the load and concentration patterns of nutrients from the catchments, in each river
It is vital that farming stakeholders are fully aware and receptive to the management implications of the legislation, so these tasks are supported by a Teagasc advisory team in each catchment. The ACP outcomes are continued assessments and recommendations of how effective the GAP regulations are in terms of farm economics and the links between farm management, landscape and water quality.
The Scheme prioritises sites of high ecological significance (included ancient woodlands and designated areas such as Special Areas of Conservation) and also sites where native woodland restoration will ‘deliver’ benefits regarding the protection of watercourses and aquatic habitats.
Typical projects under the Native Woodland Conservation Scheme might include the restoration of existing native woodland (e.g. the removal of invasive species such as rhododendron, which can destroy native woodland ecosystems); the conversion of existing conifer forests to native woodland, particularly on sites beside sensitive watercourses, and the protection and management of existing ‘scrub’ to capitalise on its ecological value as emerging native woodland.
Projects under NWS Conservation will typically include the following approaches:
Existing ‘high forest’ native woodland requiring appropriate restorative management (e.g. removal of individual or groups of non-natives, removal of invasive exotics, protection against deer and/or livestock, underplanting, promotion of native species natural regeneration).
The conversion of existing conifer forest to native woodland (e.g. the removal of uniform Sitka spruce plantation adjoining a sensitive watercourse, deer fencing, and reforestation with native woodland, through planting and / or natural regeneration).
Existing scrub constituting emergent woodland which is predominantly native (e.g. protective fencing, removal of non-natives and invasive exotics, and respacing).
Grant Rates (€/ha)
Scheme category
1st grant (€/ha)
2nd grant (€/ha)
Total grant (€/ha)
High forest
3,800
1,200
5,000
Emergent woodland
2,500
n/a
2,500
Premium Rates (€/ha)
Grant/Premium Category (GPC)
Annual premium (€/ha)
Duration (years)
Private woodland owner
350
7
Public woodland owner
n/a
n/a
Native Woodland Scheme Framework
The purpose of the Native Woodland Scheme Framework (PDF) is to identify, at pre-application stage, the most appropriate native woodland type to promote onsite. The NWS Forester and the NWS Ecologist appraises the site in terms of its location, soil and main habitats and vegetation, and matches it to one of five scenarios:
Scenario 1: Podzols (Oak-Birch-Holly Woodland)
Scenario 2: Brown Podzolics (Oak-Birch-Holly with Hazel Woodland)
The framework identifies the natural woodland type (as set out above, in brackets) most suited to the site. A management plan is then prepared by a participating forester and ecologist and is submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for approval.
Eligible operations
Preparation of a site-specific Native Woodland Plan by a NWS Ecologist and NWS Forester
Purchase of suitable native planting stock
Ground preparation, where appropriate (e.g. light scarification to facilitate natural regeneration)
Forest protection (fencing, tree guards and other measures)
Clearance of invasive species such as laurel and rhododendron
Costs associated with non-commercial tree felling, where appropriate
Woodland rejuvenation (including understorey and coupe planting, regeneration works and filling-in)
Maintenance (including vegetation management)
Woodland edge management
Maintenance of open spaces, rides and glades
Re-spacing
The restoration of former coppice or coppice-with-standards woodland to active coppice management; and other related operations, where appropriate
Once Financial Approval is granted, work can commence in line with the management plan details and approval conditions. The First Grant is paid at year 1 following completion of works, submission of Form 2 and inspection by DAFM. The Second Grant is payable at year four in respect of required maintenance work and subject to further inspection.
Important notes:
Any scenario selected must reflect the location and soil and the main habitats and vegetation (as described in the NWS Framework). Mismatch will result in the applications being returned for adjustment and resubmission.
Downy birch forms part of several planting mixtures set out in the Framework. From 2019, the use of improved ‘qualified’ downy birch planting stock is required.
Due to Ash Dieback Disease, ash is excluded from the NWS Framework.
The fencing allowances available under the Afforestation Grant & Premium Scheme also apply to NWS Conservation. If applying for deer fencing, evidence is required showing unsustainable levels of deer damage within the woodland (see the NWS Conservation Form 1 below for details).
Relevant publications:
NWS Conservation Form 1 (Word). This Form 1 is designed to be completed onscreen, printed off, signed (by the Applicant, the NWS Forester and the NWS Ecologist) and submitted in hard copy. All questions under each section must be completed.
Te Agricultural Sustainability, Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) was established in a collaborative process between the state and the dairy processing co-ops, to provide an evidence based approach to agri pressure identification.
The key operating principles of the ASSAP are: I. The ASSAP programme provides farm advice and support only II. It is voluntary and collaborative III. There is no connection to the regulatory and compliance mechanisms of the state
Aim of ASSAP: To provide a free and confidential advisory service for farmers located in the 190 priority areas for action (PAA’s) identified in the national river basin management plan 2018-2021 and to provide farmers with advice focused on the prevention of contaminant losses to waters with a view to attaining water framework directive water quality targets.
SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT AND ROBUST TARGETING OF RIPARIAN BUFFER ZONES
The SMARTER_BufferZ project aims to ensure optimal targeting and management of riparian buffers for the effective management of Irish rivers.
SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT AND ROBUST TARGETING OF RIPARIAN BUFFER ZONES
Riparian buffer zones are patches of land adjacent to rivers, streams and drains, removed from intensive production.
These areas provide a variety of environmental and ecological services, including a habitat for biodiversity, enhancing connectivity, alleviating flood threat, greenhouse gas exchanges and recreational services.
Despite their widespread implementation, uncertainties remain in relation to the optimal design, management and cost-effectiveness of riparian buffer zones as a measure to support the delivery of ecosystem services and to enhance the quality of watercourses.
The SMARTER_BufferZ project aims to ensure optimal targeting and management of riparian buffers for the effective management of Irish rivers.
Objectives and tasks
The SMARTER_BufferZ project will:
Evaluate the effectiveness of targeted riparian management measures to maintain and enhance water quality in Irish rivers.
Identify factors and develop tools for risks associated with inefficiently sited or designed buffers that do not optimise benefits, particularly for water quality and ecological condition.
Make recommendations for actions from basic strategies widely implemented, to more specific requirements according to site circumstances, both physical and habitat aspects, at the correct spatial extent.
SMARTER_BufferZ will contribute to environmental policy and to improved management of agricultural and surface water landscapes in Ireland.
This project is funded under the EPA Research Programme 2014-2020. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. It is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, which has the statutory function of co-ordinating and promoting environmental research.
Harmony is catchment based project that integrates research on soils and hydrology with socio-economic factors to derive locally relevant measures for agriculture in sensitive catchments.
The Harmony Project
Harmony is catchment based project that integrates research on soils and hydrology with socio-economic factors to derive locally relevant measures for agriculture in sensitive catchments.
The project is funded under the DAFM Stimulus fund and will provide research at post-graduate and post-doctorate level in catchment and socio-economic science.
Harmony is a collaborative project led by Teagasc research scientists from Johnstown Castle and Athenry, and in partnership with scientists from the University of Ulster, NUI Galway and AFBI.
Objectives and tasks
The overall objective of the project is to provide strategies for nutrient management in sensitive catchments.
To achieve this, the project will work within a number of case-study catchments to assess current nutrient management and farm practice in these areas (Task 2: farm survey).
A review of measures for sensitive catchments will also be carried out and a preliminary list of measures
The research element of the project will focus on optimising nutrient efficiency in the predominant soils in these areas (Task 3) and investigating the relationship between landuse change, hydrology and decline in high status (Task 4).
The outcomes of these tasks will be evaluated alongside a preliminary list of measures and a second and wider survey will explore the acceptance of additional measures and willingness to change (Task 5) among the farming community in these areas.
The project aims to propose management options and measures for agriculture that are locally relevant. It will engage with farmers through survey and discussion groups to evaluate the likelihood of adoption of new measures among the farming community.
Project team
Principal Investigator:
Karen Daly, ESLU Johnstown Castle, Wexford.
Project Partners:
Mary Ryan, REDP, Athenry
Prof. Philip Jordan, University of Ulster at Coleraine
Irish section of a major European research project will examine pathways of herbicide movement in an Irish field setting to ascertain its occurrence in water sources.
