Nitrates Directive - Teagasc advice on changes for Kilkenny farms

There are a number of changes to the nitrates directive that will affect tillage farmers this spring, Teagasc highlights.

The changes include:

• No soil test report, no chemical phosphorus allocation. From 1st January 2023 all arable land must have a valid soil test and otherwise assume P index 4 until soil tests are taken. A valid sample is one that covers no more than 5ha (12 Acres) and is no more than 4 years old.
• P index 4 means zero chemical P on all cereals, Beans and Oilseed Rape
• No herbicide is allowed on land NOT subject to shallow cultivation post-harvest (20 – 25%) before February 1st (Only applicable to Nitrates Zone A counties plus Louth, Meath and Westmeath)
• There is no change to the ploughing commencement date of December 1.
• Low emission spreading equipment shall be used to apply livestock manure to arable land or the livestock manure shall be incorporated within 24 hours. Pig slurry is low emissions only.
• No ploughing or cultivating for non-grassland crops within 3m of watercourses that are identified on the modern 1:5,000 scale Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) mapping or better.
• For late harvested crops, a minimum uncultivated buffer of 6m shall be put in place to protect any intersecting watercourses. Late harvested crops include fodder beet, potatoes and maize and excludes cereal crops and beans.

Winter Barley

• Crops are mixed after the winter with bare patches in some fields.
• Carry out plant counts. Target is for 1100-1200/m2 shoots for max yield ( 2 row).
• Weed control applied to most crops but small proportion yet to receive a herbicide.
• Target first N from mid-tillering but before GS 30, aim for approx. 40 units/acre.
• Early application of phosphorus is critical at index 1 or 2.
• Delay growth regulation till prolonged period of active growth.

Winter Wheat

• Plant counts are mixed especially water logged fields or where late sowing occurred.
• Management decisions should be made on the basis of plant counts.
• Where crops did not receive an autumn herbicide grass weed control will be the priority.
• Where grass weeds are present use Alister Flex or Pacifica Plus/Monolith + Biopower.
• If amg not an issue use Broadway Star + Torpedo
• Match P & K applications to predicted off takes
• Each tonne of yield removes 3.8 kgs P and 10 kgs K per Hectare

Winter Oilseed Rape

• Most OSR crops are well established but GAI’s are variable. Total applied Nitrogen and timing should be based on GAI.
• Target GAI of 3.5 at start of flowering to deliver maximum yield.
• Light leaf spot reported in recent days. Apply fungicide for light leaf spot as soon as symptoms appear.
• Forward crops (> 1.0 GAI) will benefit from fungicide with growth regulatory properties at green bud stage
• Foliar nitrogen can help pod fill apply at the start of flowering

Winter Oats

• Winter oat area is low due to wet autumn.
• Applying Nitrogen in a 50:50 strategy between GS 30 and GS 32 gives the best balance between yield and quality.
• Recent research indicates that oats has a large capacity to produce a large number grains per panicle to compensate for low plant numbers.
• Best shortening effect will come from growth regulator application at GS 32.

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Protein Aid
There is an increased budget for Protein Aid in 2023 with €7 million available to growers.
The payment rate will depend on the number of hectares applied for, e.g. if 12,000 hectares are grown in 2023, rate will be €583 per hectare. The minimum payment of €300 per hectare is still guaranteed. Protein/Cereal mix crop will be paid half rate.
How to Qualify
Farmers can apply for the scheme by declaring the eligible crops (beans, peas, lupins, soya, protein/cereal mix) on their 2023 BISS online application.