Industry must control P inputs warns AFBI expert

Dr John Bailey, one of AFBI’s experts in farm nutrient management and the associated environmental issues, has alerted industry stakeholders of an impending threat to the dairy industry in Northern Ireland.

Dr John Bailey, one of AFBI’s experts in farm nutrient management and the associated environmental issues, has alerted industry stakeholders of an impending threat to the dairy industry in Northern Ireland. Speaking at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute’s (AFBI) Dairy Technical Seminar at Hillsborough on Thursday, Dr Bailey explained that the increased usage of concentrates for milk production has in the past 3 years, reversed the decline in total phosphorus inputs to agriculture and once more raised the national P surplus appreciably above 10 kg P/ha/yr. More worryingly, the beneficial reductions in P concentrations in water bodies achieved over the past 20 years now appear to be halting and possibly even reversing.

Dr Bailey said, “This trend should be a major concern for all sectors of the intensive livestock industry as  the Nitrates Action Programme will be reviewed by the European Commission in just over three years time. However, there is time for the industry to take action to reduce phosphorous inputs and hence avoid potential restrictions on stocking rates by the Commission.”

Dr Bailey made clear that it was essential for all parts of the dairy industry to address this problem now and to take steps to implement a ‘road-map’ aimed at significantly reducing the risk of P loss from farmland to water. Currently, about 50% of dairy farms in NI have farm P surpluses between 10 and 40 kg P/ha/yr, whereas AFBI research has shown that optimum soil P status (Index 2), optimal grass production and optimal dietary P intake by dairy cattle can be achieved with a farm P surplus of just 6 kg P/ha/yr. If dairy production in Northern Ireland is to be sustainable long-term, this must be the target farm P surplus for all dairy farms. However, as this will take time to achieve, in the interim a P surplus of 10 kg P ha^-1 yr^-1 should be the immediate target for derogated and non-derogated dairy farms.

Notes to editors: 

AFBI carries out high-quality technology research and development, statutory, analytical, and diagnostic testing functions for DARD and other Government departments, public bodies and commercial companies.

AFBI's Vision is “Scientific excellence in Northern Ireland …  serving the world”.

All media enquiries to AFBI Press Office 

Share this page