Over 400 Tirlán suppliers attend 'Farming for the Future' event in Laois
The Tirlán co-operative welcomed hundreds of farm families to its flagship 'Farming for the Future' on-farm event on Monday of this week.
The gathering took place on the family farm of Seamus Brennan, Attanagh, Laois, and was designed to showcase the collaborative work underway to enhance and support environmental and economic sustainability on farms.
Farmers, agri-experts, and industry sustainability leaders were in attendance for a day of hands-on demonstrations, expert-led talks, and discussions.
John Murphy, Chair of Tirlán, said the strong turnout of over 400 suppliers, was an indication of the level of action underway on Tirlán suppliers’ farms and across the entire country.
"The numbers here today demonstrate our commitment to sustainability in the fullest sense – both economic and environmental sustainability," he said.
"We know this is so important as we are in the countdown to the decision regarding the renewal of the nitrates derogation in December.
"Improving the quality of our water is a must and the right thing to do. The retention of Nitrates Derogation at 220kgs or above is key and any renewal of the derogation post December must be workable on-farm and provide certainty."
Speaking at the Tirlán event, Ireland MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú said: "Recent EPA reports show a substantial decline in nitrogen concentrations in selected rivers over the last 12 months when compared to 2023. Nitrogen concentrations levels in 2024 were comparable with 2016 levels.
"Farmers are adopting measures at farm level that is delivering continued improvements to water quality. We are on the right track and everyone should welcome that. Improved water quality is the key to securing Ireland's Nitrates Derogation beyond 2025."
Laois TD and Vice Chair of Joint Agricultural Committee, William Aird, said: "This was a fantastic day of awareness for farmers, the huge turnout, the quality of the questions and engagement with the speakers is all very encouraging.
"It shows that farmers are focused on enhancing water quality and will bring the information they got back onto their own farms. I’m very encouraged by what I heard and saw."
Both Rebecca Thomson of Kepak, representing Meat Industry Ireland, and Andy Doyle, Chair of Tillage Industry Ireland, highlighted the collaborative work underway across the Irish agriculture sector. Andy Doyle said the Farming for Water EIP has been very important to the tillage sector and highlighted the benefits of flexibility to catch crops.
Host farmer, Seamus Brennan, and his family are farming in derogation and they have always gone that extra mile to keep things right, particularly when it comes to slurry and fertiliser use.
"I'm hoping to invest in an underground tank soon to make more use of the slurry. We're probably not getting as much out of it as we could – we’re probably spreading it that bit early. I’ll also look into solar. I’ve also put in an EIP application for other works," said Seamus.