The deadline for farmers to use the mandatory system of organic manure movement recordings will fall on 1 September. The online submission system will fully replace the paper method of recording manure movements on this date, when the online portal will become the sole means available to farmers to notify the Department of Agriculture of organic manure movements.

The date before which farmers must declare such movements is 31 October for derogation farmers and 31 December for all other farmers.

The submission of farm records detailing the export of slurry and farmyard manure from farms is essential for ensuring compliance with the nitrates regulations where a non-derogation holding is stocked with over 170kg of organic nitrogen per hectare, or where a derogation farm is stocked with an organic nitrogen load of over 250kg per hectare.

Penalties may be incurred should these deadlines be missed by farmers in the categories listed above.