Barriers to the export of poultry litter from Northern Ireland to the Republic are putting additional costs on farmers on both sides of the border and must be removed, Sinn Féin has said.

A prohibition on the movement of poultry litter from the North to the south was introduced earlier this month as a result of issues being raised by the Shared Environmental Services (SES) in Northern Ireland.

The SES was concerned that exporting and spreading poultry manure from the North could affect designated European sites in the south.

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“This suspension is impacting farmers both north and south of the border, where poultry farmers in the North cannot get rid of the poultry manure and the farmers in the south cannot get access to it for fertiliser,” said Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture and food Deputy Martin Kenny.

“At a time when fertiliser costs are skyrocketing, this suspension is going to cause further financial hardship for farmers who will have to purchase chemical fertilisers in the absence of poultry manure,” Deputy Kenny added.

“The Department of Agriculture must lift this suspension and start re-issuing licences and the Irish Government must engage with their counterparts in the North and come up with a solution to resolve this issue,” he said.

The Sinn Féin deputy called for greater all-island co-operation on nutrient management.