The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are reminding farmers that 2018 Nitrates Derogation applications can now be submitted on line. The closing date for applications is 20 April 2018.

1. SOIL TESTING  

Provides you with vital information about your soils

• • A foundation for your fertilizer plan

• • A small farm expense costing in the region of €1.25/ha/yr and is valid for 5 years

•  • A standard soil test will give the soils fertility status as follows; pH, lime requirement, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).

Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, has issued a strong warning to farmers and their advisors, of the following in relation to agricultural and eligible forestry land which is burnt illegally during the closed season – i.e. 1st March to 31st August:

The Sustainable Use Directive (SUD) has been introduced to Ireland within the past year. This directive will affect all users of Pesticides (Herbicides, insecticides, fungicides etc.). One of SUD’s main aims is to reduce the risk or danger of pesticide use on the environment and consequently on human health. SUD is strongly encouraging the use of Integrated pest management (IPM). SUD will only affect professional users or distributors of pesticides. The four main areas the SUD was categorised is as follows:

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine today participated in a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, convened by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the lead Government Department on Severe Weather Incidents.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., made the comments while attending a meeting of the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers meeting in Brussels.

Speaking in Brussels, Minister Creed said “While we are supportive of the Commissions efforts to better target direct payments, we must be mindful that the agriculture sector differs significantly across Member States in for example average farm size and agro ecological conditions. In that context and in the spirit of subsidiarity envisaged in the European’s Commission’s CAP Communication, Member States should be given the flexibility to decide on how to improve the targeting and fairness of direct payments within their own country”.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., has today announced the opening of the online system for submission of applications to both the National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme in 2018. 

Why:  Need to control rodent pests (brown rats and house mice)

• human and animal health; contamination; structural damage; QA compliance

How:  Integrated Pest Management (IPM) EXCLUDE, RESTRICT, SURVEY & MAP, DESTROY, REVIEW, CLEAN UP & MONITOR

This year’s sheep census must be returned to the department by the 31st of January.(14^th of February if doing online) If you are posting your census make sure and register post it and hold on to the receipt as it is the only acceptable proof of postage in the case of a dispute.

There is provision for new entrants into the scheme.

For the purposes of the scheme, a new entrant to this scheme is defined as an

applicant who has applied for a new herd number from 1st January 2017

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD has today announced that vaccination of badgers against tuberculosis (TB) will commence as an integral part of the bovine TB eradication programme from January 2018.

This year’s sheep census must be returned to the department by the 31st of January. If you are posting your census make sure and register post it and hold on to the receipt as it is the only acceptable proof of postage in the case of a dispute. The number of sheep that you put on your census should be the amount of sheep in your flock on the 31st of December 2017.

Andrew Doyle T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Forestry, has announced the release of the first bulk payment of annual tax-free forestry premiums for 2018.  The payments are currently being issued to forest owners who applied through the Department’s online services website www.agfood.ie.

IFA Rural Development Chairman Joe Brady has welcomed changes to the TAMS scheme, which will allow farmers who have applied for TAMS, and who had put down a deposit before formal approval, to claim the deposit as a legitimate expense in claiming grant aid.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D. today announced that payments have commenced under the Beef Data and Genomics Programme.