Teagasc director challenges Irish dairy to lead on water quality

Any farm you walk into in the morning will have at least one — if not two or three — issues to address, Teagasc's director of research has said

Nitrogen surplus is calculated as inputs of nitrogen (fertiliser, feed, livestock, imported organic manures) minus farmgate outputs (milk, livestock, exported manures).

Irish dairy farmers have been urged to build on their water quality advantage and become leaders in Europe for highly profitable grass-based dairy farming co-existing with high water quality.

“Currently in Irish surface waters, just over 50% are good or high. But if we look at the average proportion of water bodies in the EU-27, 37% are of high or good. We're ahead of the average within Europe, but we still need to improve,” said Dr Pat Dillon, Teagasc director of research.