The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) online system for the 2024 Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) derogation is open for applications.
Submissions of 2023 fertilisation accounts for derogated farms are also now being accepted.
The submission deadline date for applications for 2024 NAP derogations and submission of 2023 records is 11:59p.m on March 1, 2024.
Fertilisation plans for 2024 must also be prepared by March 1 and be available on-farm from this date, DAERA said.
For non-derogated farms, records of 2023 organic manure exports must be submitted by January 31, 2024.
DAERA issued a warning to farmers which stated that failure to submit manure export/derogation records on time could result in a penalty being applied to the Basic Payment.
NAP derogation
The NAP derogation is available to a small number of Northern Ireland cattle farms with higher stocking rates.
It enables farmers that meet the specific additional nutrient management and environmental criteria to better utilise the nutrients within grazing livestock manures.
It requires farmers to demonstrate more efficient nutrient use at higher stocking rates.
Having an approved derogation enables farmers to operate up to a manure nitrogen loading limit of 250kg N/ha/year, compared to the general limit of 170kg N/ha/year in the Nutrients Action Programme.
“This means they can maximise the use of manure nutrients on their farm and reduce the use of additional chemical fertilisers,” DAERA said.
The department is encouraging farmers to check their farm nitrogen loading figures via its online services and ensure they comply with the NAP regulations.
