Irish minister outlines assistance to pig and poultry sectors

01-03-2011 | Home | News

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Ireland, Brendan Smith, has confirmed a number of initiatives to support the intensive pig and poultry sectors.

Smith said that he was “particularly pleased with the progress made on developing initiatives to support the pig and poultry sectors, since Ireland’s second National Action Programme under the Nitrates Directive was approved by the European Commission last November.”

At that time, the Minister welcomed the fact that the EU Commission had granted a limited extension of the transitional arrangement in respect of the land spreading of pig and poultry manure and spent mushroom compost until 1 January 2017 under the new Regulations. Smith said that this extension “provides the industry with the breathing space necessary to adapt to the requirements of the revised Regulations.”

Smith said that “in order to adapt to the new situation post-2013, I am providing funding this year to examine ways in which technology can assist in the transfer of organic manures and my Department is working with closely the industry and Teagasc to explore ways of increasing utilisation of pig and poultry manure on tillage farms”.

This year, in a new initiative, the Department issued letters to farmers giving them an estimate of their capacity to take in organic fertiliser this year, based on 2010 Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements. Initial reaction from farmers has been positive and should lead to greater area of spread lands being available for pig and poultry farmers.

Smith said that he believed that the measures contained in Ireland’s new National Action Programme, the renewal of Ireland’s derogation and the initiatives developed since to support the pig and poultry sectors, will underpin the efforts of Ireland’s agri-food sector to meet the ambitious targets set out in the Food Harvest 2020 strategy, on the basis of sustainable farming practices.