Following today’s (19th June) publication of the ASSAP Interim Report, IFA’s National Environment Chairman Paul O’Brien said that the collaborative efforts to engage with farmers and the wider community to improve the quality of water bodies is encouraging.
He said, “Farmers want to do the right thing, and the fact that farmer engagement with the programme has reached 96% is evidence of this”.
The report shows a net improvement of 16.7% in water quality in water bodies that were prioritised areas for action.
“It demonstrates that farmers are committed to building on environmental actions, and this needs to be fairly reflected in any future eco-schemes.”
The Environment Chairman said, “A key element of the ASSAP programme is that once an issue is identified, the team provides practical solutions to remedy the problem”.
He said, “I am optimistic about the future of the programme. The collaborative support and input from multiple actors in the sector are key and gives reassurance to farmers”.
