Draft – 14 September 2026
Next week, Teagasc will hold its annual Soil Health Week, bringing together farmers, researchers, advisers, students and the public for a series of events focused on understanding and protecting Ireland's soils.
At one level, Soil Health Week is an educational initiative. Farm walks, workshops and webinars will examine practical issues such as soil assessment, nutrient management, biodiversity, erosion prevention and the building of soil organic matter.
At another level, however, the programme points to a much larger shift.
For decades, agricultural policy focused primarily on what happened above the ground: crops, livestock, yields and outputs. Increasingly, attention is turning to what lies beneath. Soil is no longer being viewed simply as a growing medium but as a living system whose condition affects food production, water quality, biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resilience.
That shift is evident throughout the Teagasc programme.
The organisation points to the challenges posed by the weather extremes experienced during 2026, including periods of heavy saturation and prolonged drought. Such events act as a reminder that soil is not merely a passive resource. Well-structured soils with healthy biological activity are generally better able to absorb water during heavy rainfall and retain moisture during dry periods.
The growing interest in soil health also reflects developments at European level. New EU initiatives around soil monitoring and resilience are likely to place greater emphasis on measuring and understanding the condition of soils over time, potentially creating a more comprehensive picture of the state of agricultural land across Europe.
Several themes emerge from the programme.
The first is measurement. Farmers are increasingly encouraged to know their soils through sampling, observation and mapping. What was previously seen as specialist scientific knowledge is becoming part of everyday farm management.
The second is biodiversity. The health of soils depends not only on their chemical composition but also on complex communities of organisms, from earthworms and fungi to bacteria and countless microscopic species. A dedicated “Ask the Expert” webinar on the hidden life of soil reflects growing recognition of these biological systems.
The third is resilience. Soil health is increasingly being linked to the ability of farming systems to cope with environmental and economic shocks. The emphasis on cover crops, organic matter, native hedgerows and mixed-species swards reflects a broader movement towards strengthening the natural functions of agricultural landscapes.
The Missing Question: Contamination
A notable feature of the Soil Health Week programme is what it does not appear to address.
The discussion focuses extensively on biological activity, soil structure, biodiversity, nutrient management and resilience. Less visible is the issue of chemical contamination and the long-term accumulation of potentially harmful substances in agricultural soils.
One such substance is cadmium, a naturally occurring but toxic heavy metal that can enter agricultural systems through several pathways, including phosphate fertilisers. Once present in soil, cadmium can persist for extended periods and, under certain circumstances, enter food chains.
This is not an argument that Ireland faces an immediate cadmium crisis. Rather, it raises a more fundamental question. As attention increasingly shifts towards soil health, are we paying equal attention to what may be accumulating within soils over time?
Healthy soils are often described in terms of their biological and physical characteristics. Yet soil health also has a chemical dimension. Understanding that dimension requires monitoring, baseline data and long-term assessment.
Questions Still Awaiting Answers
On 10 August 2026, the Department of Agriculture was asked a series of questions relating to cadmium monitoring and the availability of information concerning cadmium in Irish soils.
At the time of writing, a response has not yet been received.
The questions raised were straightforward:
What monitoring systems currently exist for cadmium accumulation in Irish soils?
What data is available regarding cadmium inputs from fertilisers and other sources?
Has any long-term assessment been undertaken regarding future accumulation trends?
How is cadmium being considered within Ireland's circular economy and resource management policies?
These questions do not advocate a particular policy response. They seek clarification regarding the evidence base available to policymakers, farmers and the public.
As Europe moves towards more comprehensive approaches to soil monitoring and resilience, understanding both the biological condition and the chemical status of soils may become increasingly important.
A Signal Worth Watching
Soil Health Week reflects a significant evolution in how agriculture views the land beneath its feet. Soil is now recognised not simply as a production input but as a strategic national asset underpinning food security, biodiversity, water quality and environmental resilience.
The signal is clear: after years of focusing on what grows from the land, attention is beginning to shift to the health of the land itself.
The next question may be whether that conversation can be broadened further, from soil biology and soil structure to include the long-term monitoring of contaminants such as cadmium.
Understanding what is living within the soil is important.
Understanding what may be accumulating within it could prove equally important.
Related Reading
Cadmium and the Questions Ireland Isn't Asking
Marshall on Policy
David Marshall
9 August 2026
“The question is not whether cadmium exists. The question is whether Ireland possesses sufficient evidence, monitoring systems and policy frameworks to understand its long-term implications for agriculture, food production, soil health and public health.”