Farmers face additional water quality inspections
An increased number of water quality inspections, relating to reducing the impact agricultural activities – both within the farmyard and on farmland – have on water quality, are on the cards for 2024.
Speaking from the recent Teagasc Water Quality Conference, Ray Cullinane, Senior Inspector at the Agricultural Inspection, Oversight and Reporting Team of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that under the fifth Nitrates Action Programme, the EPA was granted new powers pertaining to the enforcement and oversight of local authority agricultural inspections.
As part of this remit, it will develop, implement and oversee a National Agricultural Inspections Programme (NAIP) for local authorities. Additionally, it will report on the implementation of regulations and recommendations for additional measures.
It is envisaged that the NAIP will generate more data on the level of compliance, issues and follow up actions, as well as more information on the measures implemented and the effectiveness of such measures. Additionally, the results of these inspections will be communicated to the government and to the European Commission.
Cullinane explained, that for the most part, these inspections will be completed by local authority inspectors; a small number though will be undertaken by Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine inspectors on behalf of local authorities. As it stands, dedicated resources are being recruited in each local authority to meet the requirement to inspect 4,500 farms annually as part of the third River Basin Management Plan – a sharp increase on the ~1,000 inspections completed over 2022.
These inspections will check with compliance under the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters (GAP) regulations and will focus on the: adequacy of slurry and soiled water storage; management of rainwater; evidence of discharges from the farmyard; management of silage effluent, run-off from silos; management of farmyard manure; impacts on the nearest watercourse; impacts from farm roadways; and impacts from slurry spreading practices, if applicable.
On where these inspections will be targeted, Cullinane said the EPA will support local authorities in selecting appropriate locations. Waterbodies where agriculture is deemed a significant pressure will be prioritised, while a smaller percentage of waterbodies where agriculture is not deemed a significant pressure will also be inspected. The EPA’s Targeting Agricultural Measures Map, which highlights pollutants of concern using a coloured flag system, along with the Pollution Impact Potential (PIP) map, will also be used to identify inspection locations. Additionally, it was noted that local authorities may use complaints or planning inspections as an opportunity to undertake a GAP inspection for NAIP reporting, if in an appropriate location.
To access Ray Cullinane’s presentation from the Teagasc Water Quality Conference, which provides full details on the National Agricultural Inspections Programme, click here.