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Minister for Housing Simon Coveney and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed have been described as “out of touch with farming” by Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue for not pressing for an extension to the slurry spreading deadline.
The closed period for spreading slurry begins in the Republic of Ireland tonight (14 October) at midnight. In Northern Ireland, a provision in the law allows farmers to spread slurry outside the closed period if they have “reasonable excuse”.
“This summer saw torrential downpours, particularly in the west of the country, and farmers have been unable to get their slurry spreading completed. It is deeply unfair for them to be penalised for something that is completely out of their control,” McConalogue said.
On Thursday, a senior source in the department told the Irish Farmers Journal that there had been “little political pressure” to seek an extension from the European Commission and the only hope for farmers getting to spread inside the closed period was if they made representations on a “case-by-case basis”.
McConalogue said that there needs to be more flexibility surrounding the closed period for slurry spreading. “I cannot understand why the ministers are refusing to move on this – the deadline has been extended in the past and should be extended in this instance,” he said.
SHARING OPTIONS: