More farmers required to use LESS
As slurry spreading is now permitted in Zone A, and the prohibited period for applications coming to an end in Zone B and Zone C in the not too distant future, more farmers will now be required to use Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) technologies for the coming year.
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 130kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare in 2023 and following a phased approach, Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment must now be used for the application of slurry on holdings with grassland stocking rates of 100kg N/ha from grazing livestock manure or above prior to export of livestock manure from the holding from January 1st, 2025. Additionally, the use of LESS is required for pig slurry applications. And where livestock manure is being applied to arable land, the use of LESS equipment is a required, unless the livestock manure is incorporated into soil within 24 hours after application.
Read the benefits of using Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) technologies here.
Also read: Focus on ground conditions and weather before spreading slurry