From late next week onwards, farmers in 11 counties across Ireland will be permitted to spread slurry on their land.

Open and closed slurry and fertiliser spreading periods are often an area that can cause confusion among farmers and potentially adding to this, this year, are changes to the dates for the closed slurry-spreading period.

A statement from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has outlined: “In 2023, the permitted period for the application of organic fertilisers ceases on September 30, for Zone A, B and C.

The table below outlines the permitted spreading dates for organic fertilisers (including slurry) and farmyard manures in 2023:

ZoneOrganic fertilisers (excluding FYM)Farmyard manure (FYM)
Zone A:January 13 to September 30January 13 to October 30
Zone B:January 16 to September 30January 16 to October 30
Zone C:February 1 to September 30February 1 to October 30
Permitted spreading dates 2023. Source: DAFM

The following list is a breakdown if the counties in each zone:

  • Zone A: Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow;
  • Zone B: Clare, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Roscommon, Sligo, Westmeath;
  • Zone C: Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Leitrim.

However, pre-defined criteria for the application of slurry up to October 15, has been made available by the DAFM (see below).

Where these criteria are met, farmers may be eligible to spread slurry up to October 15, of that year, according to the DAFM.

Exemption criteria closed period

The Good Agricultural Practice Regulations outline the exemption criteria for the closed period and shallow cultivation.

According to the regulation, to reduce the closed period for slurry spreading from October 1, in 2023, the following scientific criteria should apply:

  • Exceptional weather conditions leading up to the closed period must be
  • demonstrated;
  • The Moore Park St. Jilles Grass Growth Model (MoST) must demonstrate sufficient growth for nutrient uptake;
  • No heavy rain forecast;
  • Consideration may also be given to the situation pertaining on farms.

To reduce the closed period for chemical fertiliser application to January 15, in Zone A and B, and January 31, in Zone C, the following scientific criteria should apply:

  • The Moore Park St. Jilles Grass Growth Model (MoST) must demonstrate sufficient growth for nutrient uptake;
  • No heavy rain forecast.

To exempt tillage land from shallow cultivation within 14 days post-harvest the following criteria must apply:

  • Saturated soil conditions as per Met Eireann’s Soil Moisture Deficit Model;
  • Drought conditions as per Met Eireann’s Soil Moisture Deficit Model;
  • Consideration of the weather forecast issued by Met Eireann, potentially including forecasted heavy rainfall event(s).

The scientific criteria mentioned for the exemptions are based on recommendations from the nitrates expert group.

SLURRY SPREADING