The ban on spreading slurry is set to be lifted for parts of the country tomorrow, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
A total of 11 counties – including: Dublin; Wicklow; Wexford; Carlow; Kildare; Kilkenny; Offaly; Laois; Waterford; Tipperary; and Cork – will be allowed to spread slurry once today is over.
The closed period for spreading slurry for the entire country began on Sunday, October 15.
But, it comes to an end at different dates – depending on the location of each county.
From Tuesday, January 16, farmers in counties Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Meath and Louth will be permitted to spread slurry.
The remaining counties – Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan – will have to wait until the beginning of February to be allowed to spread.
These dates also signify when farmers are allowed to begin spreading both chemical fertiliser and farmyard manure on their land again; the closed period for each of these fertiliser types began on September 15 and November 1 respectively.
Contractors are set to be busy in the coming weeks, as many farmers are running out of slurry storage.
Also Read: Slurry tanks reach capacity as prohibited spreading period draws to a closeA significant amount of cattle across the country were housed a lot earlier than expected last year due to the poor weather conditions and this also led to problems when farmers were trying to spread slurry prior to the deadline.
Meanwhile, the department has reminded farmers that certain methods of spreading slurry are not permitted – including using a rain gun – and carry severe penalties.
Despite mounting pressure, farmers and contractors are urged to be cautious while working with slurry – as it poses significant health and safety risks.