The high level of interest among beef farmers in availing of the €60 million fund under the Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project was evident at a recent beef farm walk near Moynalty, Co. Meath.

The event took place on Wednesday evening (June 25) on the farm of Ruairi Lynch and was hosted by Certified Irish Angus in conjunction with its processing partners ABP Food Group and Kepak.

The EIP fund is open to all farmers in priority areas for action and offers financial support to implement practical solutions on their farms that will help in improving water quality.

The host farmer had availed of the fund to install a solar-powered electric fencer to fence off a water course on the farm and also received grant aid to install a nose-pump cattle drinker.

The farm also received funding under the measure to set trees and add a riparian buffer zone near a river on the farm.

Several of the farmers in attendance at the event had already applied for funding and many others were considering applying for funding through the initiative after the event.

Kepak Group sustainability officer Luke McDermott outlined the range of measures eligible for support payments under the incentive and encouraged eligible beef farmers to avail of the initiative.

He said: "The €60 million fund is there to be availed of and farmers can either use it or loose it."

ABP Food Group's Oisin Lynch and Jenny Cumiskey outlined the measures being undertaken on the ABP Demo Farm and on the farms of ABP suppliers to help improve water quality.

Lynch also gave an overview of the ABP beef farmer sustainability initiative, the Advantage Beef Programme, which offers a 20c/kg sustainability bonus on all eligible beef cattle slaughtered through the incentive.

Farming For Water catchment agricultural scientist Barbara Olwill and Teagasc Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) advisor Fiona Doolin detailed the species indicators of high-quality water bodies, and how sediment run-off and nutrient leaching can cause issues for water quality.

The advisors gave practical examples of how simple measures such as slowing water flow across farmland into rivers and eliminating livestock access to rivers and lakes can help in improving water quality.

They encouraged farmers to check out the Farming for Water website or to contact their adviser to find out more about funding measures that may be suited to their specific farms.

The event drew to a close with a barbeque and an ABP-sponsored raffle for free soil testing and slurry sampling.