Farmers will also be able to use dribble bars and shallow injection equipment, along with trailing shoes, to spread 50% of all slurry by 2030 under the Government’s climate action plan announced earlier this week.

The plan states that trailing shoes must be used to spread half of all slurry.

However, in response to a query from the Irish Farmers Journal this Friday, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson said that dribble bars and shallow injectors may also be used.

“All low emission equipment which is currently eligible for grant aid under TAMS (eg dribble bar, trailing shoe, shallow injection) can be used,” the spokesperson said.

Actions

It was one of a range of actions for agriculture revealed in the plan, which also says that half of all CAN fertiliser must be replaced by protected urea by 2030.

Agriculture is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2030 under the plan.

Meanwhile, transport is expected to reduce emissions by 35% to 40% compared with 2017 levels, and heating in buildings 25% to 30%.

The Department of Agriculture, as well as all other departments, will have to report its progress every three months to a central climate action delivery board, which reports to the Department of An Taoiseach.

Read more

Listen: big changes for fertiliser and slurry spreading

Trailing shoe for half of Ireland's slurry in Government climate plan

Climate plan will cater for 1.6m dairy cows