Farmers need an on-site consultant for new fertiliser rules, former Fianna Fáil TD says
Jackie Cahill: 'We are after having one of the most difficult springs in living memory. An awful lot more meal concentrate has been fed to cows this winter than has been done in previous winters.' Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Farmers now almost need a consultant on site nearly all the time to make sure they are not in breach of fertiliser regulations, says Jackie Cahill, the former Fianna Fáil TD and chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture who has been appointed chairman of the National Milk Agency.
“There are so many rules now around derogation and nitrates. In my experience, the department itself does not fully understand all the rules and regulations in place.
“When you are farming, and it is now 2026, you really do not know how much manure you can spread through the calendar year.
“I will take the example of phosphorus and potassium, P and K, and the amount of nitrogen that can be spread. It depends on the stocking rate in the year”.
He said something must change, so that on January 1 farmers will know exactly what they can do for that year.
“Men are being told when August comes that they cannot spread any more nitrogen, because they are after exceeding their P and K limit. That can be influenced by the amount of concentrates fed to animals.
"We are after having one of the most difficult springs in living memory. An awful lot more meal concentrate has been fed to cows this winter than has been done in previous winters. This is going to have an impact on the amount of P that can be spread in this calendar year.
“As long as I have been sitting around tables like this one, we have been told things were going to be simplified, but it has always gone the other way.
“The situation with nitrates and the derogation has got so complicated now that I would say no one understands the regulations or is able to interpret them correctly and efficiently. That is something that needs to change. The amount of regulation around the derogation is driving farmers around the twist.
“The vast majority of liquid milk farmers, though not all, would be heavily stocked; it comes with the trade, and the majority of them would be in derogation, so they are affected by these regulations.
“The derogation is bringing us rules. We all have to accept that, but we cannot be telling a fella in August that he is at his limit and he cannot do this or that.
“Fodder levels this year are going to be exceptionally low when this winter is over. To get those levels built up again for next winter will mean people will be inclined to spread, even with the price of fertiliser.
"It is going to cause people difficulty. As was said to me today, fertiliser is still the cheapest feed. If you do not spend on fertiliser, then you will not have the silage pits full.
“The regulation that has come into place around derogation and nitrates has really complicated the dairy industry. Reference was made to the Bord Bia audits and the different audits dairy farmers have to go through.
"While all those are tiresome and they have to be done, the regulation around derogation now is really putting farmers through the mill.”
Mr Cahill made his remarks on the regulation of farms during the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food’s engagement with him as the chairperson designate of the National Milk Agency.
He told the committee he is farming in partnership with his nephew. He served as a TD in Tipperary from 2016 to 2024, and is a former president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, and a former chair of the National Dairy Council.
