29 July 2024
Measures to improve water quality funded through Farming for Water EIP
Sinead Devaney, ASSAP Advisor at Teagasc Galway/Clare, writes on the role of the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP), and shares key details on the application process for the Farming for Water EIP – a €50 million scheme with 40 different measures to choose from.
ASSAP
The Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme or ASSAP is a free and confidential advisory service for farmers in priority areas for action. The aim of the programme is to support farmers to implement actions on their farms to help improve water quality.
In Ireland, all water policy and management is led by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Under this, the country has been set a target of achieving ‘good status’ for all its waters. However, despite a lot of good work over the last 20-30 years, we are falling short in achieving this target and water quality has remained mainly static with no significant improvement being recorded.
As a result, the Government is adopting a more collaborative approach to facilitate improvements in water quality. The EPA has identified priority catchments or ‘areas for action’ across the country, where the status of the water is at risk of falling from a range of both agricultural and non-agricultural pressures.
In these priority areas, ASSAP is focused on addressing agricultural pressures, and is made up of scientists that will assess the streams and advisors who will work closely with farmers.
Where an agricultural pressure is identified, the farmers in the area receive the offer of a free farm visit from an ASSAP advisor. The purpose of the visit is to meet with the farmer and assess the farm for any potential issues that may be having an effect on the water quality in the local catchment.
Support from the farming organisations for the programme is very strong and this is vital in communicating and informing farmers about the programme and its key messages. Funding and collaboration with other bodies includes DAFM, DHPLG, LAWPRO and Dairy Sustainability Ireland.
Farming for Water EIP
The new Farming for Water EIP is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP), which will provide €50 million to some 15,000 farmers up to the end of 2027 to implement a range of measures designed to help improve water quality.
It may provide funding for measures such as stream fencing, alternative water supply, nose pumps, solar pumps, fenced margins, riparian buffer zones, hedge and tree planting etc., for farms within Priority Areas for Action (PAA). There are over 40 measures to choose from which include completing a rainwater management plan, a farmer training course and a Nutrient Management Plan.
This grant aid is targeted to specific Priority Areas for Action (PAAs). Farmers will be consulted by their ASSAP advisor and informed as to how best to approach the measures to be taken on their lands, before making the straight-forward application and availing of the grants.
Farming for Water EIP is a collaborative approach between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), in partnership with industry. DAFM will provide funding of €50 million for participating farmers, co-funded by the National Exchequer and the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. The DHLGH will provide administrative support and funding of €10 million. The Water EIP project, which will run until the end of 2027, has been awarded to the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO).
Application Process:
- A targeted approach. First preference given to Tier 1 farms – farms previously assessed by ASSAP advisors to restore water quality to good status. Tier 2 – farms in a 3rd Cycle PAA, or in a catchment with a community-led water quality initiative and identified by EPA/ Local Authority as water bodies for nutrient/ sediment/ pesticide measures. There is a Tier 3 and Tier 4 category also. The ASSAP advisor will determine the tier the farm is in.
- Applications to the Farming for Water EIP are to be submitted to the Water EIP Project Team by the ASSAP advisor. Applications are free and farmers can make more than one application.
- Every application must include a fully completed and signed application form, along with a copy of bank header details for payment of measures.
- The application will detail each individual measure. However, farmers can make more than 1 application over the lifetime of the project.
- The applicant must be actively farming the land for the duration of the EIP plan.
- No work should commence until the EIP Project team have given written approval to the applicant.
- Each measure can be paid individually once they are installed and validated.
- Payment frequency will be monthly and will be made by Tipperary County Council.
- Annual payments will be issued 12 months from validation of application and yearly thereafter. Annual Payments require an annual Geotagged Photo.
You can check out the water quality status of your local waterbody by visiting catchments.ie.
More information on the ASSAP Programme is available here.