New €60m water project launched at Lough Ennell

A new €60m project launched by government in Dysart last week aims to improve water quality on Irish farms.

It took place on the 120-acre farm of David and Roisin Fay, who have received plaudits for their work in improving water quality at the adjacent Lough Ennell.

The bathing water quality at Lilliput had been designated ‘poor’ between 2018 and 2020 as a result of agricultural pollution, which led to restrictions placed on swimming at the popular amenity.

Water quality has since returned to ‘excellent’ thanks to a collaborative effort from Westmeath County Council, LAWPRO, ASSAP, and other stakeholder groups across the farming industry.

The project launched at Dysart last week, called the Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP), hopes to use the success story of Lough Ennell as a template to be used elsewhere in Ireland.

Over the next five years, €50m in support will be available for 15,000 farmers to help them implement water quality improvement measures at their farms, and €10m has been allocated for the project’s administrative costs.

Attending the launch was Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Charlie McConalogue.

Minister McConalogue said he could not underestimate the importance of the EIP.

“We’re doing this not only because there’s a legal imperative, but because farms, and the families living on those farms, are dependent on this success,” he said.

“This €60m investment is proof of the government’s commitment to support farmers in their efforts towards reducing water pollution at farms.

“This EIP is bringing all the relevant actors together to achieve progress that is vital for all of us, and I wish the team every success in its implementation – we look forward to seeing the results in the future.”

Minister Pippa Hackett credited the EPA as one of many groups to have improved water quality at Lough Ennell.

“Their collaboration is going to see this [EIP] deliver, not only for our water quality and for the bathers at Lilliput, but for the knowledge we can glean from this for the future of farming,” she said.

“We’re seeing an evolution now in the collaboration between government departments and state agencies – which is to be welcomed.

“This is all about how do we design a farming system in Ireland that’s sustainable for water quality, sustainable for biodiversity and sustainable for nature – that’s our biggest challenge at the moment.”

Minister Malcolm Noonan said Dysart farmer David Fay has “worked hard” to improve water quality at Lough Ennell and was part of an initial team that came together in 2021 to reduce agricultural pollution there.

“It turned around a situation in a very short period of time to one of good water status,” he said. “It really says a lot about what can be done with basic measures around removing drinking points, access to the water, and installing solar pumps.

“It’s had a huge impact on the bathing water and water quality at Lilliput.”

Minister Noonan said Lilliput is an area of huge economic importance to the region. “It’s one of the only inland bathing water sites in the country,” he said.

“It’s hugely significant from a rural tourism perspective and is hugely significant for the local economy as well. The outcomes here have demonstrated what can be replicated right across the country.”

The Fay family farm in Dysart raises suckler cows for beef and plan to grow spring oats and arable silage for the first time in 2024 to provide winter feed for their livestock.