The IFA’s livestock chair Declan Hanrahan has stated that the Department of Agriculture should defer and review plans to make low emissions slurry spreading mandatory from January for farms stocked between 100kg and 130kg organic nitrogen/ha.

Extending mandatory LESS requirements to farmers at these stocking rates is outlined in the Nitrates Action Programme currently undergoing an interim review.

If implemented as planned, a further 15,000 farmers are estimated to face the mandatory use of LESS for spreading slurry, taking the total number of farmers using LESS to more than 40,000 next year.

Hanrahan said that this proposed tightening of slurry rules would add an “unnecessary cost burden” to farms in this category, which he added are generally small-scale drystock farmers on fragmented land, often difficult to work.

Pushing

Pushing the change through could see these farmers forced to use LESS equipment which is not practical, economically viable or safe for them use in getting their slurry out, the livestock chair continued.

Hanrahan called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to come forward with “sensible and practical arrangements” for this group of farmers which do not mandate the use of the trailing shoe and dribble bar.

New slurry rules on way for 15,000 farmers

IFA calls deferral of mandatory LESS for lower stocked farms

Farmers stocked between 100kg and 130kg organic nitrogen/ha should not have to face the "unnecessary" cost burden of LESS, the IFA's livetsock chair said.