Farmers can legally spread slurry in most parts of the country again, but ground conditions mean very few are able to do so. The closed period under the nitrates regulations expired on Sunday, 12 January, in Zone A counties.

This means slurry, FYM and chemical fertilizer could be spread from Monday onwards, in counties in most of the southern half of the country.

Zone B counties (click on map below) can legally commence nutrient application from Thursday, 16 January.

The four counties of Zone C – Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan – must wait until 1 February before they can get out on land with slurry, FYM, or bagged fertilizer.

The end of the closed period also means that dung can be stored in fields in advance of land spreading, subject to GAEC rules.

Farmers are reporting significant pressure on slurry storage, despite the late closing in October.

For those with outside lagoons, the intense rainbursts of recent days are testing storage capacity.

These farms have the option of utilizing umbilical systems, where ground is reasonably trafficable.

For everyone else, it’s a matter of waiting for better weather and ground conditions, and grabbing any opportunity to get out to land.