The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said it has contacted the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) over the slurry spreading deadline of October 15.
The unions said it has been inundated with calls from members who are struggling to get silage and crop cut, and slurry out safely, with the poor weather and challenging ground conditions.
Northern Ireland’s slurry spreading deadline is midnight on Sunday, October 15, and the UFU said this has many farmers and contractors under pressure.
The union said the closed period dates are set in legislation and therefore any change or extension would require a change in the law and that, “with no ministers in Stormont, this is just not possible”.
“The UFU have always opposed farming by rigid calendar dates but at present there is no alternative.”
As the closed period approaches, the UFU said it is important that farmers comply with the spreading conditions of the Nutrients Action Programme to avoid penalties and risk to waterways.
Exceptional conditions
The ‘reasonable excuse’ clause in the Northern Ireland Action Programme caters for all exceptional conditions when farmers cannot fully comply with the rules, through no fault of their own.
This clause is used in years when weather and ground conditions made compliance impossible by individual farmers but could also cover other issues such as major disease outbreaks.
This also allows farmers on a case-by-case basis to spread beyond October 15, if a reasonable excuse can be shown, the UFU said.
It is still an offence for farmers to spread slurry during the closed period however, where in exceptional circumstances and if reasonable excuse can be proved, a defence may be made for non-compliance with the closed period.
“We would strongly urge farmers to proceed with caution and ensure they have exhausted every other appropriate avenue for dealing with slurry,” the UFU said.
“This does however offer more flexibility than a time-bound extension to the dates.
“The ‘reasonable clause’ should be used as a last resort, and it would be advisable to speak with your UFU technical officer.”
