Glaring flaw in nitrate rules

PADRAIG WALSHE has accurately pinpointed the most glaring flaw in the nitrates’ regulations, which has enabled him to make a strong case in partnership talks for amendment of the regulations.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Tánaiste Mary Harney and Finance Minister Brian Cowen made opening statements last week as the partnership talks got under way.

Normally, farming issues would be the least of their worries at these talks, where the Government's main objective is to maintain competitiveness in the economy.

Competitiveness will be important for farmers and food processors, for whom cost inflation is always a big worry.

But farming as a sector is not very high on the partnership agenda.

Since the Single Farm Payment was put in place, farming is reckoned to contribute no more than 14% of household income in rural Ireland. The rest comes from the cheque in the post and Celtic Tiger jobs, according to the recent report on a survey of 1,250 rural households by Diploma in Rural Development students.

It's important to keep farmers in place, as they are still 30% of the rural workforce, but doing that depends more now on non-farming jobs to keep part-time farmers going, and on schemes like REPS (Rural Environment Protection Scheme). The non-farming jobs depend on having a competitive economy; and schemes like REPS have to be made attractive to farmers.

Conditions for production on farms, under which heading the nitrates regulations come, are now secondary to output of crops and livestock.

But when the nitrates regulations hit REPS, they can do real damage.

Environmental schemes principally REPS and some tourism activities are the only areas where farmers have diversified away from their dependence on agricultural production.

Instead of starting up other new businesses, farmers rely on the Celtic Tiger jobs in construction, wholesale and retail, and public services, often commuting away from farms which are run on a part-time basis.

Within this changed rural economy, a scheme like REPS assumes much importance.

So social partners sit up and pay attention when IFA president Padraig Walshe says the nitrate regulations are unworkable and damaging to all farmers, including the 50,000 farmers who participate in REPS.

Existing REPS farmers who are fully stocked must reduce their nitrogen fertilisation by about 40% and get rid of some livestock, or acquire extra land, in order to observe the new nitrate laws.

Under these conditions, the scheme will be less attractive, and the record rate of farmers joining REPS will come to an end.