Farmers told to play thier part to reduce fish kills

Farmers are being called on to take special care in managing and storing silage effluent during silage season, which is now underway.

The safety drive has been launched by Teagasc, who are keen to see a reduction in the number of fish kills in the country.

The farm organisation's chief environment officer Sean Regan said today that the wet weather in recent weeks has greatly increased the volume of effluent produced by silage crops.

"This year, each tonne of silage could produce up to 30 litres of effluent. With up to 20 million tonnes of silage being made nationally over the coming months, we are looking at up to 600 million litres of effluent. This highlights the need for careful management," he said.

"Silage effluent is a vicious pollutant. Unless it is managed carefully it can have devastating effects on fish life and water quality. Major strides have been made in recent years in reducing the proportion of fish kills caused by farming. Of the 53 fish kills recorded last year, nine were agriculture-related. This was the lowest proportion in a decade. While this is very welcome, continuing vigilance, particularly during silage making, is essential."

He urged farmers to make sure all effluent facilities are working effectively.

"Fish kills are essentially a summer phenomenon. Water levels in rivers and streams are generally low and the warm summer temperature reduces oxygen levels. If silage effluent enters a stream or river, it leads to a rapid increase in bacteria and other micro-organisms who use up the available oxygen. As fish breath in more water in an attempt to survive, they also take in more of the poison," he said.