198 kg/ha of nitrogen costs farmer SFP
His case was raised in the Dáil by Noel Coonan, TD, and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney explained that the farmer applied for a Nitrates Derogation in 2011 and 2012, which would have allowed him up to 250 kg of nitrogen/hectare per year.
However, his derogation applications for 2011 and 2012 were rejected, because no fertiliser plan was submitted for either year. This resulted in non-compliances with the maximum limits of nitrogen per hectare requirements, and penalties were applied against the 2011 and 2012 direct payments schemes.
The Department’s records indicated that in 2013, nitrogen from livestock manure applied to the land (including that deposited by animals) was 198 kg/ha, which exceeded the 170kg limit in Nitrates Regulations. The farmer did not apply for a nitrates derogation in 2013.
Similar breaches had been identified in the previous three years, and the rules on repetition resulted in a 100% penalty against 2013 Direct Payment Schemes. In this case, the 2013 Single Payment overpayment was deducted from the 2014 payment due, resulting in a net payment of €18.43 in respect of 2014.
