Key change to slurry spreading rules comes into play
With the prohibited period for slurry applications coming to a close in the not too distant future, farmers need to be aware of a key change to the rules regarding the method by which slurry can be applied on some farms.
The period in which organic manure applications are permitted varies geographically, and is broken down into three ‘Zones’ by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as follows:
- Farmers in Zone A – spanning Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow – can spread organic manures, such as cattle slurry or farmyard manure, from January 13th.
- Zone B, for which organic manure applications can start on January 16th, encompasses the counties of Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.
- While for farmers in Zone C, for which the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan are included, can begin the application of organic manures from February 1st.
After previously becoming compulsory on farms stocked above 150kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare in 2023, Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment must now be used for the application of slurry on holdings with grassland stocking rates of 130kg N/ha from grazing livestock manure or above prior to export of livestock manure from the holding from January 1st, 2024.
Additionally, the use of LESS will become compulsory on farms stocked at 100kg N/ha or above from January 1st, 2025.
Other regulations to keep in mind from the Nitrates Action Programme are that all slurry produced by pigs on any holding from January 1st, 2023, must be applied using LESS, while LESS equipment shall be used to apply livestock manure to arable land or the livestock manure shall be incorporated within 24 hours.