Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has called on the Department of Agriculture to revisit an outright splash plate ban to recognise the impact it will have on hill farmers.

The Ireland South MEP has criticised the regulation that will mean that from 1 January 2025, 41,000 farmers will be required to use new, more environmentally friendly equipment to spread slurry.

Ní Mhurchú has urged Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to defer the regulations until alternative ways to protect the environment when spreading slurry are investigated.

“Farmers have raised their concerns directly with me in meetings over the past number of months,” she said.

“This is a massive issue for farmers with very hilly lands. The inability to spread the slurry on hills means that farmers may spread more on their flatter grounds leading to a greater concentration of slurry on flat grounds, which presents a danger for nearby water courses.”

Ban

The ban to limit the use of traditional splash-plate slurry spreading on farms is an environmental measure that is designed to reduce emissions from agriculture.

Ní Mhurchú said that while well intentioned, the measures will place an unreasonable financial burden on smaller farmers, who will have to invest considerably in new machinery.

“If approved as [low emissions slurry spreading] LESS equipment, it could be a solution that would be affordable and easier for farmers to meet their environmental obligations."

She added that other EU countries, such as Germany, are making allowances for hill farmers in the implementation of these regulations and she feels Ireland should follow suit.

“Moscha swivel spout slurry spreaders were designed by a German farmer who was seeking a better slurry-spreading technique. The basic idea is that the nozzle slows down the speed at which slurry leaves the tanker, thereby creating larger slurry droplets with less emissions.”