Farmers intending to put out slurry or farmyard manure in the next few weeks near any water body must be aware of increased buffer zones. Farmers in zone A will be permitted to spread organic and chemical fertiliser from and including the 13 January, while for zone B this will be from and including 16 January. Farmers in zone C must wait until 1 February, from which date they are permitted to spread. The buffer zone for a general surface water is 5m, while for any surface watercourse where the slope towards the watercourse exceeds 10% is 10m.

For general water surfaces, the buffer zone for the spreading of organic fertiliser increases from 5m to 10m for the two weeks after the prohibited spreading period. For zone A, this means that the buffer zone will increase to 10m from 13 January until 26 January, for zone B this extended buffer zone will run from 16 January until 29 January, and for zone C this extended buffer will apply from 1 February until 13 February. Chemical fertiliser must not be spread within 2m of surface waters.

Low-emission spreading

Many farmers have moved towards low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment over the past few years, with one of the many advantages including the reduction in the loss of nutrients. There are grants available through TAMS II which can cover part of the cost of purchasing a new slurry tank or umbilical system with LESS attachments including a dribble bar spreader, a shallow injection spreader and a trailing shoe spreader. The umbilical system includes a base pump, hose reel, a maximum of 500m lay flat hose and all fittings necessary. Grant aid can also be claimed to retrofit an existing tanker only with a dribble bar spreader. Grant aid of 40% up to an investment ceiling of €40,000 per holding is payable under the scheme. For a registered farm partnership, this ceiling increases to €60,000. This investment ceiling is separate to the overall TAMS II investment ceiling of €80,000 per holding, which may make it more attractive to farmers.