Farmers will no longer be able to spread bag nitrogen from next week.

The closed period for fertiliser spreading comes into effect just after midnight on Sunday 15 September. Farmers in Northern Ireland have until midnight on the same day to spread the last of their chemical fertiliser.

The closed period for slurry spreading comes into effect on 15 October and the spreading of farmyard manure is banned from 1 November. Under the EU nitrates directive, farmers are banned from spreading slurry and fertiliser over the winter months.

ADVERTISEMENT