The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said that farmers in derogation need an extension on the deadline for submitting forms on organic manure exportation for 2021.
Denis Drennan, the chairperson of the association’s Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to grant an extension on the closing date, which at the moment is this Sunday (October 31) for derogation farmers (non-derogation farmers have until December 31).
Drennan noted that, up to this year, the rules stipulated that all farmers had to submit slurry and farmyard manure export forms by December 31 each year, and a paper-based system was used.
Earlier this year, though, the Department of Agriculture announced that for this current year, and going forward, an online system was being introduced.
“From a compliance perspective, the correct submission of this documentation is hugely important and given that this is the first year of the new online system, the minister must understand that there may well be ‘glitches’ and the uncertainty that comes with a new procedure,” Drennan highlighted.
He added: “Agricultural advisors – who might be able to help – are very busy at present with TAMS applications as the current tranche comes to a close.
“In that context, we’d appreciate the minister extending the deadline for derogation farmers to submit the relevant online documentation until the end of the year.
“There’s just massive pressures on farmers right now and a simple, completely doable, eight-week extension to the end of the year would alleviate that pressure and ensure better familiarity with the new system,” the ICMSA representative said.
The department issued a reminder yesterday (Wednesday, October 27) of the impending closing date for slurry export records to be submitted.
Exporting slurry is one of the recommended ways to stay within the nitrates limits (250kg of manure nitrogen (N) per hectare for derogation farmers, and 170kg N/ha for all other farmers).
The online system for recording the movement of organic manure was launched on March 9, 2021 and use of it to record slurry movements has been mandatory since September 1, 2021.