The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has called on the government to extend the period for slurry spreading in order to allow for the completion of other on-farm tasks.
The FCI has also said that an extension would cater for excess slurry production due to livestock being housed earlier than usual, or slurry which has been held back for later application, due to wet weather conditions.
In two letters, one sent to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, and one sent to Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien, the FCI called for a “national contingency plan” to be put in place that would allow slurry spreading past the current cut-off point of October 1.
The FCI said that any slurry spreading taking place during an extension to the open period would be done though low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment.
These letters said that FCI members expect to be harvesting grass silage crops up to the beginning of October, due to first cut silage already being fed to cattle.
“The production partnership that exists between farmers and their agricultural contractors have identified that attempts at a third cut of grass silage will extend the harvest into early October,” the FCI said.
According to the contractors group, this situation will deprive farmers and their contractors of the opportunity to spread animal slurry on fields for the next six to seven weeks.
Delays in the cereal harvest and straw baling is compounding the issue, as livestock farmers operating under the nitrates derogation, and who would be expecting to export slurry to tillage farmers, are unable to do, the FCI said.
“Due to the wet weather of the past two weeks and current Met Éireann weather forecasts, our FCI members are preparing for the continued and prolonged harvesting programme of grass silage, cereal crops, and maize silage crops, which will be slow and difficult,” the letters to the ministers said.
According to the FCI, the two ministers have the power to extend the period for slurry spreading under EU rules. The association called on both ministers McConalogue and O’Brien to consult each other and to confirm an extension for slurry spreading to October 15.
The letters said: “We are urging you to make this decision as a matter of urgency in order to allow farmers to plan the management of grass harvesting and slurry spreading in a structured way.
“If a decision of this nature is not taken immediately, our FCI members will be unable to achieve the necessary slurry spreading programme on individual farms in advance of the October 1 spreading deadline.”
The FCI called on Minister McConalogue to advise Minister O’Brien of the “urgency of the grass and cereals harvest situation and why the extension of the slurry spreading dates to October 15 should apply in 2023”.
“We urge you to announce this as a contingency plan with specific criteria as a matter of urgency to allow farmers and their agricultural contractors to plan their workloads at this difficult time,” the contractors group said.