Vol. 473 No. 1
350 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the instruction, if any, he has given to agricultural advisers on the desirability of getting farmers to test their soil phosphorous levels with a view to establishing 6 mg phosphorous/kg as a desired maximum level, preventing the application by farmers of excessive phosphate fertiliser to land and protecting Irish inland waterways from eutrophication. [24688/96]
No instructions have issued from my Department to Teagasc advisers in relation to soil phosphorous levels. In any event instructions to these agricultural advisers is a matter for the director of Teagasc.
Teagasc have recently issued revised phosphorous recommendations for grassland. At the launch of the revised recommendations on 13 December 1996 in Johnstown Castle I exhorted farmers to have their soils tested and, furthermore, to follow closely the analyses furnished. It should be noted that Teagasc recommendations for satisfactory crop growth are based on the phosphorous — P — status of the soil. Where the P level in the soil is adequate then no additional P is recommended. Where the P level in the soil is inadequate the amount to be recommended is that needed to maintain soil fertility, that is, to meet the crop requirement.
The 6 mg P-kg figure referred to by the Deputy cannot be a universal figure as some crops require higher levels of P for optimum production, for example, root crops.
