Better Farming for Water with Pat Dillon

Why It Matters

Improving water quality through catchment‑specific, farmer‑led actions helps Ireland meet EU targets, safeguards ecosystems, and protects the long‑term profitability of its agricultural sector.

Key Takeaways

• Catchment-based approach coordinates multi-actor water quality actions across regions.
• Nitrogen surplus, not just NUE, is primary metric for reduction.
• Different catchments need tailored practices for nitrogen versus phosphorus issues.
• Eight actionable farm practices target nutrient loss and sediment control.
• Collaboration includes farmers, regulators, industry, and advisory groups.

Summary

The Better Farming for Water campaign, launched by the Department of Agriculture and led by Chú’s Pat Dillon, is a multi‑actor advisory initiative aimed at improving Irish water quality by focusing on nutrient loss and sediment from agricultural land. It adopts a catchment‑based structure, establishing steering groups at national level and implementation groups for each river basin, bringing together farmers, industry representatives, regulators and local authorities to coordinate existing programmes such as ASUP, Water‑for‑Life and the Farming Water EIP. Key insights include the shift from nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) to nitrogen surplus as the primary performance metric, recognizing that surplus kilograms per hectare better reflect actual loading to waterways. The programme highlights that nitrogen dominates water‑quality challenges in free‑draining southern catchments like the Slaney, while phosphorus is the main issue in western basins such as the Binning, necessitating distinct mitigation tactics for each area. Stocking rate, fertilizer timing, slurry management and buffer strips are identified as the five levers driving surplus. Concrete examples illustrate the model: the Blackwater catchment is chaired by dairy farmer Kevin Tumi and coordinated by Philip Morphe, with seven action programmes already launched. In the Slaney, nitrate concentrations exceed 4.5 mg L‑1, threatening the estuary, whereas the Binning shows only 28 % of water bodies achieving good ecological status due to phosphorus. The campaign outlines eight practical actions—optimising fertiliser application, improving slurry storage, fencing waterways, repairing margins, maintaining winter cover crops, among others—tailored to each basin’s nutrient profile. The implications are significant for Irish agriculture and the broader EU water‑framework agenda, which targets good or high ecological status for all water bodies by 2027. By aligning farm profitability with environmental outcomes, the initiative offers a pathway for farmers to meet regulatory expectations, protect biodiversity and secure market access, while demonstrating that sustainable, catchment‑focused stewardship can coexist with profitable grass‑based enterprises.

Original Description

Water quality continues to be a major focus for the agricultural industry, and while farmers are already making changes on farm, there is increasing emphasis on how practical actions can improve water quality outcomes at catchment level. 

In this episode, Pat Dillon from Teagasc joins James Dunne to discuss the Better Farming for Water campaign. 

Pat explains what the Better Farming for Water campaign is aiming to achieve, why a catchment approach has been taken and the practical actions dairy farmers can take to make a difference. 

We also discuss concepts such as nitrogen use efficiency, nitrogen surplus, stocking rate and how all of these interact with water quality.

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com (https://www.lastcastmedia.com/)