Irish fears at new phosphorous limits

Irish poultry producers have called on the Dublin government to keep phosphorous levels out of an ongoing review of the nitrates regulations, or risk imposing serious new costs on the sector.

Under the current arrangements, there are no specified limts on the amount of phosphorus that can be applied to the ground from poultry litter, unlike nitrates which are limited to a basic 170kgN/ha application limit, (though 240kgN/ha is permissible under a separate derogation).

But Brussels is known to be keen to tighten up on this and new phosphorous limits could be introduced as part of an ongoing review, which is due to take effect from 1 January, 2011.

Irish Farmers’ Association poultry chairman Alo Mohan says the consequences of the current exemption not being extended could be “devastating”.

The current rules for nitrates mean that a poultry farmer with a 100,000-bird unit has to spread the litter on 350 acres of tillage ground to meet the application limit. If phosphorous is brought into the equation, that could increase to 1000 acres.

“Most poultry production in Ireland is concentrated in the Cavan/Monaghan area, a long way from the main tillage areas,” he told Poultry World. “If the phosphorous provisions are not continued, this will increase the price of transport from €10-40/t, which increases the price of manure management per year to €56,000 [for a typical 100,000-bird unit].”

On top of this, the extra area required for the phosphorous would dilute the effectiveness of the nitrate as a fertiliser, so undermining its economic value.

Overall, the IFA estimates that the cost to the whole pig and poultry sector of imposing phosphorous limits would amoubnt to €30m, a figure that would put in jeopardy some of the 14,000 jobs that depend on the two sectors.

Mr Mohan said that the country needed at least another four-year exemption, so that the government and industry could research some of the alternative uses for poultry litter, such as fuel and pellets for gardeners.