National Federation of Group Water Schemes

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National Federation of Group Water Schemes

• Water Services National Training Group
• 5th Annual Rural Water Services Conference

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SOURCE PROTECTION - A FARMERS PERSPECTIVE

• Brendan OMahony
• Chairman, National Federation of Group Water
  Schemes

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SOURCE PROTECTION WHAT IS IT?

• Different Levels
• Restrictions on farming practices in the vicinity
  of drinking water abstraction points.
• Generalised or specific?
• Recognise site vulnerability, or not?

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• Buffer Zones a general restriction.
• Number of restricted land applications of
  manures.
• Chemical fertilisers reduced buffer.
• Or, complete sterilisation from farming.

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GENERALISED BUFFER ZONES

• Uniformed areas along
• rivers
• streams
• abstraction points.
• Biodiversity issues.
• New farming buffers alongside original buffer
  zones.

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RESTRICTIONS ON FARMING NOT NEW

• Water Pollution Acts 1977 1990.
• Section 12/23.
• EPA licensing of Intensive Agricultural
  Enterprises (IAEs).
• REPS.
• Code of Good Agricultural Practice (1996).
• Code of Farming Practice (cross-compliance).
• Nitrates Regulations (2006).
• Single Farm Payment (SFP) cross-compliance.

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NITRATES REGULATIONS

• Specific restrictions on land applications near
  abstraction points.
• Width of buffers varies depending on size / use
  of abstraction source.

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• Code of good agricultural practice (1996).
• Voluntary.
• Generalised restrictions on land applications up
  to 300 metres.
• Different buffers for chemical Vs organic
  fertilisers.

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FARMING PERSPECTIVE

• Dependent on whether source protection is
  generalised or specific.
• Are underlying reasons clear?
• Precautionary principle.
• What are implications of restrictions for incomes
  / land values?

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• In the context of restrictions on established
  farming practice to protect sources-
• Farmers would expect any income loss to be made
  good.
• Accepted principle, e.g. Germany, USA.

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• Basis for identifying / calculating income loss
  will need to be agreed.
• Land value effects
• e.g. Nitrates regulations provide for defined
  specific buffers.

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CONCLUSIONS

• Source protection a fact of life.
• Nothing new.
• Extent increasing.
• Should only be response to real risks.
• Need clear link between farming and risk,
  otherwise compensation must be addressed.
• Fair basis for measuring income loss.
• Possible land value implications.

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National Federation of Group Water Schemes

• Water Services National Training Group
• 5th Annual Rural Water Services Conference