Agriculture In Ireland Research Articles

The development and geographic distribution of organic farming in Ireland

Abstract This paper explores the development and spatial distribution of organic farming in Ireland. The focus is on the impact of policy, agricultural systems, soil quality, market access, information provision and the influence of neighbouring organic farmers on this development. Geocoded data on organic farms are mapped and spatial concentration is estimated using a location quotient. The results suggest that while organic farming is spread over most of the country, there is evidence of three main spatial clusters. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of organic farming appears to be based on the interaction of a number of determining factors. While certain agricultural systems and soil qualities provide favourable conversion conditions, regional supports, information provision and the impact of pioneering organic farmers may influence spatial clustering of organic farming. In addition, while the availability of organic market outlets is important for organic farming, no clear spatial effect is evident. The paper concludes with a discussion of some policy recommendations aimed at increasing the size of the organic sector.

The Adoption of Agriculture in Ireland: Perceptions of Key Research Challenges

This paper outlines the results of a project carried out 2007–2008 providing oversight of key challenges in the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition in Ireland as understood by those researching the period. The project involved interviews with practitioners from a variety of fields in order to obtain qualitative data. The resulting synthesis is not a ‘consensus’ statement of priorities, but a reflection of a very diverse research field. Given that the project took place at a time of considerable change in Irish archaeology, the strengths and weaknesses of research into the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition are of broader relevance.

Development of indicators for assessment of the environmental impact of livestock farming in Ireland using the Agri-environmental Footprint Index

The Agri-environment Footprint Index (AFI) was developed as a generic methodology to assess farm-scale changes in the environmental impacts of agriculture and to assist the assessment of European agri-environment schemes. Using the AFI method, context-specific indicators were developed for relatively extensive dry-stock, and relatively intensive dairy farming in the northwest and south of Ireland, respectively. Both these farming contexts are subject to the same multi-objective Irish Rural Environment Protection Scheme. The rationale and detailed structure of four indicators are presented; these relate to: organic nutrient application, organic nutrient storage, the biodiversity value of intensive grass husbandry, and the aesthetic landscape value of grass husbandry practice. Sixteen other indicators are detailed in Supplementary material. The majority of the indicators developed involved risk assessment of farm management practices, as a proxy (surrogate) means to assess environmental state. In this sense, they provide an indirect measure or estimate of likely environmental quality, or relative environmental risk. In many cases, the complexities of environmental concerns required the development of integrative multi-metric indicators with corresponding transformation functions. Wherever possible, these functions were based on known (evidence-based) regional or national impact models. Such models (including quantification of relevant environmental quality levels) were frequently unavailable, in which case a participatory process of stakeholder and expert engagement was essential to fill knowledge gaps. Links between the developed indicators and the European Commission's Common Evaluation and Monitoring Framework (CMEF) that was developed around the same time, are presented. In this sense, the context-specific and policy-relevant indicators (and the method to generate them) provide a useful addition to the CMEF common indicators, especially to reflect the specific objectives of national/regional agri-environmental policies. Despite their customisation to the farming contexts studied, the basic structure and underlying logic of many of the developed indicators may be of much wider use in similar livestock-based agro-ecosystems. A common, geo-referenced spatial framework built on contextual indicators that takes into account climate and farming type, would represent a significant advance in the harmonised development of indicators relevant to analysis of agri-environmental policy.

A survey analysis of grassland dairy farming in Ireland, investigating grassland management, technology adoption and sward renewal

AbstractThe objective of this study was to identify and understand grassland management practices employed on dairy farms in the Republic of Ireland, including grazing‐season length, concentrate‐feed input, uptake of new grassland‐management technologies and frequency and methods of sward renewal. The sample population for the survey was chosen from a proportionate representation of all milk suppliers taken from three of the largest dairy processors in the Republic of Ireland. The sample was subsequently broken down into three stocking rate (SR) and three size categories of milk quota (Qcat) to investigate their effects on the survey variables. Both SR and Qcat had significant effects on the proportion of participants adopting grass‐based technologies and on the amount of supplementary feed offered. Grazing‐season length increased from 228 d in Qcat1 to 249 d in Qcat 3 but was unaffected by SR (241 d; s.d. 3·05). The proportion of the grazing area reseeded annually was significantly affected by SR, increasing from 0·044 to 0·095 of the grassland area as SR increased from SR1 to SR3, with no effect of Qcat (0·068). The results show that on‐farm grass utilization is low, with significant potential for expansion and increased efficiency through increased SRs, greater adoption of grassland‐management technologies and higher levels of sward renewal.

The house and group identity in the Irish Neolithic

A connection is frequently made between the arrival of farming in Ireland and the beginnings of domestic life ' proper', i.e., the foundation of a permanent or semipermanent base around which activities and events relating to the agricultural year are focused. The appearance in the archaeological record of substantial timber buildings associated with early Neolithic ceramics, lithics and food waste would on first inspection seem to bear this out. Emerging detail on their construction, use and abandonment suggests that they represented a considerable social investment for at least several generations during the early Neolithic. The domestic architecture that characterises later periods— the middle and late Neolithic—leaves very different and generally more ephemeral traces in the archaeological record as well as diverging quite dramatically in terms of shape and design. Perhaps most significantly, these later shifts appear to coincide with changes in the form and scale of funerary and ceremonial architecture such as passage tombs and timber circles. In this paper, it is argued that exploring the space, content and design of these various domestic settings through the Neolithic can bring us closer to understanding earlier prehistoric society as a whole.

A pragmatic assessment of government support for organic agriculture in Ireland

Drawing on a pragmatic approach, this paper provides an analysis of government support for organic farming in Ireland. Varying levels of encouragement and programmes are provided to farmers in their conversion from conventional to organic production, and in their maintenance of organic production. As support policies vary across regions and are linked to European Union legislation, it is challenging to document the many types of support in place. This paper investigates relevant technical, financial, and policy support available to organic farmers in Ireland. As an exploratory study, it develops an assessment of Ireland within eight key categories of organic agricultural support: policy, leadership, technical support, financial support, research, education and information, marketing and promotion, and future outlook. Information and data from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF), the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), and other government and semi-governmental agencies were utilized to assess the level of support in each category. This assessment provides key findings which will allow policymakers, organizations and citizens to better understand the current situation and set a path for the future development of organic farming in Ireland.

How can we understand researchers' perceptions of key research developments? A case study focusing on the adoption of agriculture in Ireland

Understanding how researchers perceive key research developments in their fields is not straightforward. This paper reports on a project focusing on perceptions of key developments in the adoption of agriculture (Mesolithic-Neolithic transition) in Ireland. The project involved over sixty interviews with active researchers, generating qualitative data that provide an overview of these perceptions. Despite much diversity, several areas emerge as having been particularly important, including methodologies and wider developments in archaeological practice. Variation between Ireland and other areas of north-west Europe is suggested by some aspects of the data.

Relationship of soil phosphorus with uranium in grassland mineral soils in Ireland using soils from a long‐term phosphorus experiment and a National Soil Database

AbstractPhosphorus fertilizer contains contaminants that may increase the content in the soil and in plants. The relationship between soil P and soil uranium (U) was investigated to determine potential effects of P‐fertilizer use. This study is based on a long‐term experiment (38 years with 0, 15, and 30 kg fertilizer P ha–1 y–1) for beef production on grassland at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland and also on soils from a National Soil Database (NSD). The NSD soils were taken at fixed locations on a predetermined grid system at the density of one sample every 50 km2. Of the 1310 samples in the NSD, the 760 grassland mineral soils were selected for this study. The aim was to determine to what extent P fertilizer increases the content of U in the soil. The results showed that there was a small but significant increase in soil U in the high‐P treatments, which contained high levels of soil P, in the long‐term field experiment. The results from the NSD showed that there was not a significant relationship between extractable (Morgan's) soil test P (STP) and U. It is concluded that the use of chemical P fertilizer at normal rates used in agriculture in Ireland is not a major threat to U content of soil based on the results of this study. There was a significant relationship between total P and STP, in the NSD, with the latter making up approx. 1% of the former. Soil available P increased with soil pH, probably reflecting the use of chemical P fertilizer and lime on agricultural soils.

Quantifying the viability of farming in Ireland: can decoupling address the regional imbalances?

Abstract Irish agriculture has undergone fundamental transformations in the last two decades. A growing divergence between farming and non-farming incomes and a significant increase in part-time farming have led to intense debates surrounding the future viability of the Irish farmer. Irrespective of such deliberations, agriculture still remains an important employer and contributor to the regional economies of Ireland, a factor that is discussed in this paper. An analysis of the financial performance of farms shows that the regions that rely most on agriculture as an employer have the most economically and physically disadvantaged farms. The paper examines the role of agricultural policy in addressing this regional imbalance. In particular, the recent decoupling policy is examined. The results of economic models suggest that the decoupling reform increases the viability of farming in Ireland across all regions. However, the decision to implement the historical decoupled payment scheme has served to perpet...

Nutrient issues on Irish farms and solutions to lower losses

Agriculture in Ireland utilizes 63% of total land area and has a big environmental impact accounting for 70% of phosphorus and 82% of nitrogen in surface waters, and for 97% of ammonia, 81% of nitrous oxide and 86% of methane emissions to air. Phosphorus loss to water is Ireland's most serious pollution problem. The deterioration of water quality that has been evident since the 1970s has been halted and reduction targets for ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture are being achieved. These achievements are largely attributable to declining ruminant livestock populations and declining inputs of manufactured fertilizers as a result of increasing emphasis on extensification of production practices in the Common Agricultural Policy during the past decade. Nevertheless, substantial improvements in water quality are needed by 2015 to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. To meet this and a broad range of environmental targets and to comply with the Nitrates Directive, a wide ranging set of regulations governing agricultural practices was implemented into law in 2006. These include general limits on stocking rates on farms of no greater than 170 kg/ha of N in livestock manures applied mechanically or deposited by grazing livestock. There are periods between September and January when the application of fertilizers and manures is prohibited and minimum winter storage requirements apply for manures generated on farms of between 16 and 26 weeks depending on location and agricultural enterprise. The use of phosphorous is stringently curtailed; there are limits on phosphorous concentrations in soil as determined by a soil test and limits on imports of phosphorus onto farms, which generally cannot exceed exports. These regulations are likely to make an important contribution to achieving environmental targets in Ireland, particularly the improvement in water quality required by the Water Framework Directive.

THE ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOSITION OF AN IRISH GRASSLAND SOIL

An understanding of the chemical nature of in soil is essential to the sustainability of agriculture in Ireland. This study used 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and wet-chemical analysis to characterise NaOH-EDTA-extractable in a grassland soil in south-east Ireland. Soil samples of 10cm depth were collected over five sampling days between September and December 2003. Total soil (Pt) ranged between 723 and 819mg kg-1 soil, while Morgan's (Pm) ranged between 3.4 and 12.5mg PI-1 soil. Recovery rates of extracted in the NaOH-EDTA solution were high, ranging from 75 to 88% of soil Pt. Four distinct classes of compound were detected in the 31P NMR spectra: inorganic orthophosphate ( =6.72 to 6.85ppm, with a mean of 6.79ppm), orthophosphate monoesters ( = 3.83 to 6.11ppm), orthophosphate diesters ( = ?0.32 to 0.54ppm) and pyrophosphates ( = ?3.44 to ? 3.13ppm, with a mean of ? 3.26ppm). Distinct signals at 5.64, 5.39, 5.02 and 4.55ppm in the spectra showed the dominance of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate in the orthophosphate monoester region. Orthophosphate diesters were subclassified as phospholipids ( =0 and 1.88ppm) and DNA ( =0.09 to ? O.lOppm). Over the three-month sampling period the mean percentages of the four main functional classes?inorganic orthophosphate, orthophosphate monoesters, orthophosphate diesters and pyrophosphates?in the soil samples were approximately 52, 42, 3 and 3%, respectively. The ratio of orthophosphate monoesters to orthophosphate diesters ranged from 10 to 19. Further research is required to assess the potential bioavailability of organic (Po) in Irish grassland soils in order to understand its role in the transfer of from agricultural soil to our water bodies. David Bourke (corresponding author; email: bourkedo@tcd.ie)

THE ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOSITION OF AN IRISH GRASSLAND SOIL

An understanding of the chemical nature of P in soil is essential to the sustainability of agriculture in Ireland. This study used ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and wet-chemical analysis to characterise NaOH—EDTA-extractable P in a grassland soil in south-east Ireland. Soil samples of 10cm depth were collected over five sampling days between September and December 2003. Total soil P (Pt) ranged between 723 and 819mg P kg⁻¹ soil, while Morgan's P (Pm) ranged between 3.4 and 12.5mg P l⁻¹ soil. Recovery rates of P extracted in the NaOH—EDTA solution were high, ranging from 75 to 88% of soil Pt. Four distinct classes of P compound were detected in the ³¹P NMR spectra: inorganic orthophosphate (δ = 6.72 to 6.85ppm, with a mean of 6.79ppm), orthophosphate monoesters (δ = 3.83 to 6.11ppm), orthophosphate diesters (δ = —0.32 to 0.54ppm) and pyrophosphates (δ = —3.44 to —3.13ppm, with a mean of —3.26ppm). Distinct signals at 5.64, 5.39, 5.02 and 4.55ppm in the spectra showed the dominance of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate in the orthophosphate monoester region. Orthophosphate diesters were subclassified as phospholipids (δ = 0 and 1.88ppm) and DNA (δ = 0.09 to —0.10ppm). Over the three-month sampling period the mean percentages of the four main P functional classes—inorganic orthophosphate, orthophosphate monoesters, orthophosphate diesters and pyrophosphates—in the soil samples were approximately 52, 42, 3 and 3%, respectively. The ratio of orthophosphate monoesters to orthophosphate diesters ranged from 10 to 19. Further research is required to assess the potential bioavailability of organic P (Po) in Irish grassland soils in order to understand its role in the transfer of P from agricultural soil to our water bodies.

Transition to Organic Farming in Ireland: How Do Organic Farmers Arrive at the Decision to Adopt and Commit to Organic Farming Methods?

The following paper reviews the research Transition to Organic Farming in Ireland: How do Organic Farmers Arrive at the Decision to Adopt and Commit to Organic Farming Methods? The objective of this research was to examine how individuals arrive at the decision to adopt organic farming methods and commit to this decision on a daily basis through their everyday behaviour. A social movement approach was adopted. This approach considered the impact and appeal of the cosmological, organisational and technological aspects of the organic farming movement and how these aspects combine, in the decision process, to influence the biographies, motivations and behaviour of the organic farmer as well as the extent to which the organic farmer participates in social networks.

Phosphorus retention and sorption by constructed wetland soils in Southeast Ireland

It may be necessary to use constructed wetlands as a land use practice to mitigate phosphorus (P) loss from agriculture in Ireland. The objectives of this study were to determine the ability of two constructed wetland site soils to retain and sorb P. Intact soil/water column studies were used to determine P release/retention rates during a 30-day incubation period. Soil columns flooded with distilled water released P during the first 2 days; however, soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations in overlying floodwaters decreased thereafter. Soils with overlying floodwaters spiked at 5 and 15 mg SRP L −1 retained highest amounts of P ( p < 0.05 ) with retention at these concentrations controlled by SRP in overlying waters. Retention rates by soils ranged between 0.3 and 60.9 mg P m −2 d −1. Maximum P sorption capacity ( S max) was higher for wetland soils at Dunhill, Waterford (1464 mg P kg −1) in comparison to soils at Johnstown Castle, Wexford (618 mg P kg −1). Equilibrium P concentrations (EPC 0) were low (in the μg SRP L −1 range), indicating a high capacity of these soils to sorb P. Phosphorus sorption parameters were significantly related to ammonium oxalate extractable aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) content of soils.

Brucellosis—A Persistent Occupational Hazard in Ireland

A cross-sectional seroprevalence study using the complement fixation technique (CFT) was carried out among technical and support staff of the Department of Agriculture in Ireland (n=375). A result CFT of < 1:8 was accepted as normal, i.e., no evidence of exposure to Brucella abortus. Results were compared with available medical records to differentiate new from old or established cases. The participation rate was 75% (n= 281). Of the 281 participants, ten [3.6% (95% CI 1.7-6.5%)] tested positive (titers > or = 1:8). Veterinarians, laboratory staff, and workers based in meat plants were at increased risk of exposure. 106 previous results were available. Eight of those who tested positive had previously been tested, and of these, four (3.8%, 1-9.4%) had converted from negative to positive in the intervening five years, a conversion rate of 8 (CI 2-20) per 1,000 employees per annum. Thus, exposure to B. abortus remains common among at-risk occupational groups in Ireland.

The effect of decoupling on the decision to produce: An Irish case study

This paper assesses the impact of decoupling on farming in Ireland. The decision to engage in production post decoupling is simulated using profit maximising multi-period linear programming models. The number of farmers that would financially benefit from disengaging from production is projected. The results of the economic models suggest that significant restructuring is likely to occur at the farm level as a result of decoupling. Projections of farmers’ production decisions post decoupling are compared and contrasted to the results of a survey of farmers’ production intentions. The comparison shows that despite the significant changes in profitability that decoupling could engender, the majority of farmers intend to continue as before and are unlikely to change their production patterns. The survey of farmers’ intentions indicates that a large number of farmers still seem to consider the decoupled payment linked to production. The implications of these results for land use, agricultural production and farm numbers are discussed.

Q fever in Ireland. A seroprevalence study of exposure to Coxiella burnettii among Department of Agriculture workers.

To estimate the risk of exposure to Coxiella burnettii among 'at risk' workers in Ireland. A cross-sectional seroprevalence study, using the complement fixation technique (CFT), was carried out among technical and support staff of the Department of Agriculture in Ireland (n = 375). Participants were divided into low- (n = 34), moderate- (n = 158) and high-risk (n = 83) groups according to the likelihood of occupational exposure. A result of <1:8 on CFT was accepted as normal, i.e. no evidence of past exposure to the causative organism, C. burnettii. Participants with titres of 1:16 were clinically assessed for evidence of past or present infection and interviewed regarding the possibility of non-occupational exposure. The participation rate was 75% (n = 281). Overall, 24 of the 281 participants (8.5%, 95% confidence interval = 5.6-12.4%) tested positive (titres = 1:8). No statistically significant difference existed between the three groups (low, 8.8%; moderate, 9.5%; high, 7.2%). Of those reviewed (n = 10), no evidence of either past or present clinically significant illness was detected. Possible non-occupational exposure was identified in two cases. Laboratory evidence of past exposure to Q fever is common amongst readily identifiable 'at risk' occupational groups in Ireland, and appropriate preventative steps are warranted. Employees who do not have direct exposure to animals or animal products, but who work in a high risk environment appear to have a similar risk of exposure C. burnettii. Although clinical illness appears to be rare, health care workers should consider the possibility of Q fever in cases of unexplained illness arising in those working in 'high risk' environments.

Review: The First Department: A History of the Department of Agriculture Ireland's Own Soil: Government and Agriculture in Ireland, 1945 to 1965

Review: The First Department: A History of the Department of Agriculture Ireland's Own Soil: Government and Agriculture in Ireland, 1945 to 1965

Government and Agriculture in Ireland, 1945–65

Government and Agriculture in Ireland, 1945–65

Development and implementation of a computerised management information system (DAIRYMIS II) of Irish dairy farmers

Dairy farm income is influenced by many factors including dairy herd management. In order to make wise decisions, the dairy farmer must have adequate information. Systems of dairy farming in Ireland are mainly based on grassland. The DAIRYMIS II computerised management information system was developed to meet the management information needs of Irish dairy farmers. The accurate capture and validation of farm data is a very important component of a management information system. Good information cannot be produced from bad input data. The DAIRYMIS II system is recorder-based. A recorder visits each participating dairy farmer monthly to collect stock and production data. The recorder then codes this data for computer input. The validation applied to the data on the farm and at data entry to computer are also described. Each month, the dairy farmer receives a number of reports which relate to his own farm and reports from which he can compare his own performance with that of other dairy farmers in his group. The system gives 18 main reports. The DAIRYMIS II system has been implemented on dairy farms in Ireland since 1980. The benefits from the use of the system can be exploited more if the participating farmers form a discussion group.