Department uses text alerts to warn farmers over nitrate commitments

Texting as a means of instant communication is now a common feature of daily life for busy farmers.

It was again used to good effect yesterday when the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine began notifying certain farmers of their interim nitrogen statement covering cattle numbers held on the farm for the first six months of 2013.

This is being done by sending text messages to those farmers whose cattle numbers would indicate that they may be approaching or exceeding the limits set down in the nitrates regulations.