Uisce Éireann showcase positive measures for pesticide management from the Erne-Larah Water Source Protection Project

Uisce Eireann recently hosted an event on a farm within the Erne-Larah Catchment to showcase the measures that were being deployed under the Erne-Larah Water Source Protection Project. The event demonstrated the good practice for pesticide management and was attended by representatives of the project stakeholder groups including the Environmental Protection Agency, Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP), LAWPRO and NI Water as well as participants in the project. 

Hosted by Peter Denning on his farm, Integrated Catchment Manager Lorraine Gaston from Uisce Eireann started the day with an overview of the project and introduced the project team members from Jacobs, Philip Farrelly & Co and Uisce Eireann. 

Declan Phelan, Agricultural Advisor from Philip Farrelly & Co, provided a summary of his role and the work undertaken in engaging with and supporting famers in the project. Declan led a tour of the measures that had been deployed on the farm including new fencing (watercourse protection), smart riparian buffer, grassland management and a new solar pump and drinking trough. 

Domhnall Kennedy from the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme at Teagasc (ASSAP) gave a presentation on good practice for pesticide application, focussing particularly on minimum buffer distances to watercourses that should be maintained. 

John Keogh from Animal and Plant Health Association (APHA) also gave a demonstration using a Model Boom Sprayer (pictured below) to show how sprayers should be filled, set-up and emptied for use and the effect of different nozzle types on spray drift.

Peter Denning also showed the group additional group water protection measures that he has completed on his farm to reduce silts and soils being eroded and washed into the Larah River. 

The Erne-Larah Water Source Protection project aims to understand how landowners can prevent pesticides from getting into drinking water sources. The pilot study in Cavan's Erne-Larah Catchment is encouraging farmers to consider the vulnerability of the water supplies to pesticide contamination and the importance of the water source to the local homes and businesses in the community. 

Outlining the benefits, Uisce Éireann's Integrated Catchment Manager Lorraine Gaston said “The project is yielding significant benefits, particularly in terms of increasing engagement with the local community and providing support to farmers. This assistance is helping to safeguard our drinking water sources and enhance biodiversity in the area. In turn, we’ve seen a significant reduction in the number of drinking water samples with elevated pesticide levels.”

This pilot study is assisting Uisce Éireann with capturing new data and learnings on how different protection measures and actions can improve source water quality and how similar projects might be considered elsewhere in the country.

To learn more about the project, please visit the dedicated Erne-Larah Water Source Protection Project page.