I was in Northern Ireland at the weekend and got talking to a dairy farmer about the difficulties caused by the weather this summer.

We discussed the potential fodder shortage and the problems getting straw, but it turns out that perhaps the biggest issue facing many farmers in NI is slurry storage.

The farmer recounted how he had emptied two tanks in a rented farm yard during the settled spell at the beginning of November.

It was after the slurry ban came into force on 15 October, but spreading a limited amount of slurry is allowed in the closed period in NI under the clause of “reasonable excuse”.

Isolated spot

The yard in question was in an isolated spot in Co Tyrone, and used to rear dairy heifers.

A couple of weeks later, when feeding the cattle one morning, the farmer in question thought he would check the tanks to see how they were filling up.

To his amazement, both tanks were full.

It turns out someone had decided to move their slurry problem on to him. An alternative way of beating the slurry ban, but a dirty act all the same.