Agricultural bye-laws
In December 2000, North Tipperary County Council adopted bye-laws, regulating agricultural practices in the catchments of the River Ollatrim, the River Ballyfinboy , the Nenagh River and the Ballintotty. These bye-laws were introduced as a response to deteriorating surface and ground water quality in the catchments concerned. While agriculture is not the only source of pollutants to these waters, it is an important source. Other sources of pollution, such as sewerage systems, industry and forestry, are being addressed within these catchments by the Water Quality Standards for Phosphorus Regulations, 1998.
The bye-laws address key aspects of agricultural practice in the affected areas. In essence, they require good farm management, which is consistent with modern intensive farming, while not compromising water quality.
Key aspects of the bye-laws include the following:
- Safe storage of all farm effluents.
- Soil analysis to determine the nutrient requirements of the crops grown.
- Tailoring of both the quantity and timing of slurry and additional fertilisers as required to ensure optimum yields.
- Prevention of any nutrient loss in the form of slurry/fertiliser run-off to surface waters, or nutrient leaching to ground waters.
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