The Department of Agriculture in Ireland will be introducing new legislation on a national fertiliser database at the beginning of next year in relation to fertiliser movements. Depending on pre-legislative scrutiny, some alterations may be before us before everything is actually set in stone.
If this legislation passes, professional end users will have to register to agfood.ie if they use fertiliser or buy/spread fertiliser for others. Merchants will need to register as ‘economic operators’ which means that they are required to report all relevant fertiliser transactions made to the government’s national fertiliser database monthly. This data will include date, farmer details, usage and type of fertiliser – value however will not be reported.
Back in December 2021, The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine began the process of developing legislation to mandate all chemical fertiliser sales in Ireland to be registered.
This proposal which was outlined in the Government’s ‘Nitrates Action Programme’ will be coming into effect from January 1st, 2023 (TBC). This means that if you are a farmer who uses fertiliser on your land, you need to pay attention to avoid landing yourself a hefty fine.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine “The National fertiliser register will accurately track fertiliser sales and minimise reporting requirements in an aim to facilitate Ireland’s Eco-Scheme.
The role of the register will:
In addition, the national fertiliser register aims to establish a better understanding of the value of livestock manure and the need to reuse nutrients as much as possible on farms.
Charlie McConalogue, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine said his ambition was to protect and enhance our water quality and biodiversity while ensuring Irish farmers continue to produce top-quality food.
“Securing the Derogation is a key priority and that we meet these multiple ambitions. Once the NAP is finalised, the overall package will assist Ireland’s agri-food sector in working towards its targets under Food Vision 2030, in a sustainable manner. The DAFM insists that these implementations will bring a level of regulation to the industry which is needed to ensure chemical fertilisers are used for optimum efficiency.” (McConalogue, C. 2021)
If everything goes ahead in January as planned, agricultural merchants will have a huge job on their hands collating and reporting the correct information back to the government.
At Herbst Software, we can help you with the inevitable. From planting to harvesting, warehousing, and selling, your entire supply chain can be managed and controlled far more efficiently in real-time by our fully integrated business management solution.
Specialising in the Irish Agri business and its sub-industries, our all-in-one system will not only present you with accurate reporting, accounting and detailed analytics, it also gives you full traceability, integrated weighbridge, point of sale, handhelds etc.
With customisable solutions, you can create efficiencies in your daily operations and empower your staff with a solution that maximises performance and provides immediate results. Enabling real-time information allows for instant updates to the back-office on valuable data such as deliveries, customer information and correspondence.
This means that reporting essential information to the national fertiliser database for the government will be easy, hassle free and right at your fingertips – in the form of a module.
Currently nothing has been set in stone and all legislation is still to be confirmed. If you are looking some more information on the National Fertiliser Database, checkout the government FAQ website which should be able to answer all your queries.
To find out more information on how you can digitise your business with Herbst Software, check out our video below, or contact our specialists on: +353 404 67164
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