Farmers on high ground in Tipperary have sought a derogation from the splash plate ban, which is due to come into effect next year.

From 1 January 2025, farmers stocked between 100kg organic N/ha and 129kg N/ha will be banned from using splash plates and will be legally required to spread slurry using Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment.

However, farmers in Tipperary have said that this equipment is not practical or safe for small scale drystock farms, operating on often fragmented holdings on high ground.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, vice chair of the IFA sheep committee, JP Ryan said the speed of travel needed while using LESS equipment is the biggest concern.

“Traction is very important and grip is very important in a hilly condition. With the smaller more narrow mechanisms, you have to travel at a higher speed. Then if you go to the wider mechanisms that drop your speed, you have an increased ballast weight issue. There’s no solution so far that is going to be safe or that’s going to be workable. You can’t manage high speed on slopes – it’s a huge safety concern,” Ryan said.

This equipment, he added, is designed with a 2,500 gallon slurry tank in mind that needs a 200hp tractor to pull it.

North Tipperary IFA chair Baden Powell said that this is a huge safety issue for a lot of farmers in the area.

“It’s just not doable for high ground. There’s no way that ground is suitable for a trailing shoe or a dribble bar. You’ve an extra three-quarters of a tonne on the back of your tank, which throws off the weight of the tanker. When you move from the flat land up to the hills – you’re moving into dry stock and suckler farm enterprises, and you’re dealing with a totally different type of slurry,” he said.