A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that “nitrogen concentrations” in selected major rivers have “reduced in the first half of 2024 relative to other years”.
According to the EPA report between January to June 2024 nitrogen concentrations in waters nationally “are at the lowest they have been since 2016”.
The agency said an analysis shows “that this is likely to be representative of what happens nationally over the full year”.
The EPA’s Early insights indicator report -Nitrogen concentrations in selected major rivers is based on the nitrate concentration data for 20 river monitoring sites – situated at the most downstream monitoring locations on major rivers around Ireland.
The national monitoring dataset is not scheduled to be published by the EPA until June 2025.
But farm organisations will welcome early indications that trends are now more positive in relation to nitrogen concentrations than they have been previously.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) director of policy and chief economist, Tadhg Buckley, commented on social media that although it was “early days” the latest data released by the EPA “is very promising”.
“January to June 2024 river nitrate concentrations from Ireland’s major rivers at lowest levels since 2016.
“Signs the multiple measures undertaken by farmers across the country are starting to bear fruit,” Buckley stated.
According to the EPA previous reports identified that nitrate concentratons “are too high in the east, southeast and south of the country” and highlighted there are a number of “catchments of concern” in those areas where nitrate concentratons need to be reduced to improve water quality.
It compared the January to June 2024 nitrate concentrations at the early insight representative monitoring sites that are located inside the catchments of concern, with the equivalent data for catchments in the west and northwest of the country which are currently largely meeting their nitrogen targets
Commenting on this comparison the EPA stated: “The data show that while the overall trajectory of change over time is proportionally similar inside and outside the catchments of concern, there is a marked difference in the absolute nitrate concentrations between the two groups of sites, which reflects the differences in farm practices, soil types and climate conditions in these regions”.
The next six monthly update for the early insight indicator will be published by the EPA in quarter one 2025.