Slurry spreading dispensation - beware

Ozzy Scott

Well-Known Member
Good old Brussels and whoever kindly will allow poor unfortunate farmers in areas of high rainfall to spread when their land is dry enough even after the closed period has kicked in - but wait for it


That they will be prioritised for inspection by Local Authorities in the immediate future to ensure compliance with the Nitrates Regulations


So because you happen to farm West of the Shannon or in some wet unfortunate place you will be prioritised for an inspection. Shower of Shite the lot of them

https://www.ifa.ie/localised-slurry-spreading-flexibility/#.WduH_0vIrow
 
To put the other side to that, the ones who need the exemption regularly could well be short of storage even if they (just) meet the minimum standard
 
To put the other side to that, the ones who need the exemption regularly could well be short of storage even if they (just) meet the minimum standard
i know what your saying but theres a lot of big stores about now and very few of them are sitting empty at the minute there will be a lot of slurry spread this winter . fortunatly were not in a NVZ . our rain gun be working already this year and its only october
 
Would most of the slurry still not spread be in sheds with animals in recently or be sitting there since last spring?
 
Seedsower said:
Would most of the slurry still not spread be in sheds with animals in recently or be sitting there since last spring?
There are lots of cows in since mid august on farms within 10miles of me. Most of these guy take any decwnt chance to spread slurry as they know their ground better than some arsehole in the department of housing ...... and environment (when it suits them)
 
There are lots of cows in since mid august on farms within 10miles of me. Most of these guy take any decwnt chance to spread slurry as they know their ground better than some arsehole in the department of housing ...... and environment (when it suits them)
This is probably the reason for the inspections. Can't have it all, they're offering a way round the rules in return for inspections to check you are trying to follow them
 
Would most of the slurry still not spread be in sheds with animals in recently or be sitting there since last spring?
We are spreading today and the tanks are tracking the ground. We had most spread early in the year but we had to delay silage cutting due to the ground not being able to take machinery. So a month later cutting silage means we had a fair amount to spread becuase of fear of tainting grass.

And our place would be dry by local standards. There are a good few lads with cattle in a month or more already and silage still to cut or cut and not able to pick it up.

This whole thing is a fiasco. Those rules might work where you can predict the weather a year in advance but we struggle to get predict a week ahead of time. Any weather coming to us will bring rain and lots of it but at random times of the year the same as growth.

It surely cant be impossible to get a formula for tieing in rainfall and temperature and grass growth and use that instead of allowing spreading today just a few days before heavy rain on Monday while dry ground and good growth the end of next week isnt allowed?

Sorry about the rant, i hate destroying land just to please a few eejits in an office:curse:
 
The eu will accept spreading based on weather rather than calendar farming.
BUT it would apply all year round so every time you want to spread you would have to take recent rainfall and forecasted amounts in to consideration .
Great fun for the contractors who pick silage on a dry day and spread slurry when wet
 
Are the rules not just a bit of a laugh. Don't think your supposed to take them too seriously.

If you were to follow all the rules to the letter you'd end up in an institution.
 
Twas madness to pass fields yesterday morning and see lads spreading in the heavy rain. Then to come back in the afternoon and only see grass and the tracks of the tanker and tractor in the fields. No wonder the land in the south is so good with all the nutrients that flow from here to there
 
Twas madness to pass fields yesterday morning and see lads spreading in the heavy rain. Then to come back in the afternoon and only see grass and the tracks of the tanker and tractor in the fields. No wonder the land in the south is so good with all the nutrients that flow from here to there

Sure we are due a magnetic pole reversal which'll suck em all back up! :lol:
 
Twas madness to pass fields yesterday morning and see lads spreading in the heavy rain. Then to come back in the afternoon and only see grass and the tracks of the tanker and tractor in the fields. No wonder the land in the south is so good with all the nutrients that flow from here to there
Did you ever see the nitrates in groundwater report for the south? Dont worry we're not alone.

As for the rules, we all know they're wrong in lots of ways. Be it lads emptying tanks now in the rain or when the ground is wet in spring the day after the opening.

The question is why our rules are the way they are, its the same Directive governs UK (incl NI), France and Germany, yet they have more common sense. Simple fact is, we left it so long to transpose the directive the patience had run out. Yet again Ireland not dealing with its problems
 
Did you ever see the nitrates in groundwater report for the south? Dont worry we're not alone.

As for the rules, we all know they're wrong in lots of ways. Be it lads emptying tanks now in the rain or when the ground is wet in spring the day after the opening.

The question is why our rules are the way they are, its the same Directive governs UK (incl NI), France and Germany, yet they have more common sense. Simple fact is, we left it so long to transpose the directive the patience had run out. Yet again Ireland not dealing with its problems


I farm in France.
You guys think that you've got a raw deal...

NO YOU HAVE NOT!

The Dept. of Ag are playing a very nuanced little game with the nitrates in Ireland, a game that's not gone unnoticed...there's regular write ups here about 'dead zones' in Irish coastal waters, and reports about dodgy potable water.
The little trick that the Dept are using is sailing close to the wind, namely using ALL the land of Ireland (mountains, bogs, shyteholes west of the Shannon etc etc) and creating an 'average' for the purpose of nitrates...sustainable????

I'm allowed 49 units of nitrogen per acre.
This is under constant review and analysis of soil nitrate down to a depth of 90cm, must be furnished every year.
I can't buy an artic of "granlime" that happens to have 27.5%N, not even for cash!!
I longingly look back to the days when wwheat got 220-240unitsN/ac...49uN is my absolute limit. No derogation possible either!
So lads cool the jets.


Btw with legumes and crop rotation I'm managing just fine, and enjoy a quite significant cost saving.
If it were passed tomorrow in Ireland that 49units was the limit, how'd ye cope?
Dairying would suffer the most...
 
I farm in France.
You guys think that you've got a raw deal...

NO YOU HAVE NOT!

The Dept. of Ag are playing a very nuanced little game with the nitrates in Ireland, a game that's not gone unnoticed...there's regular write ups here about 'dead zones' in Irish coastal waters, and reports about dodgy potable water.
The little trick that the Dept are using is sailing close to the wind, namely using ALL the land of Ireland (mountains, bogs, shyteholes west of the Shannon etc etc) and creating an 'average' for the purpose of nitrates...sustainable????

I'm allowed 49 units of nitrogen per acre.
This is under constant review and analysis of soil nitrate down to a depth of 90cm, must be furnished every year.
I can't buy an artic of "granlime" that happens to have 27.5%N, not even for cash!!
I longingly look back to the days when wwheat got 220-240unitsN/ac...49uN is my absolute limit. No derogation possible either!
So lads cool the jets.


Btw with legumes and crop rotation I'm managing just fine, and enjoy a quite significant cost saving.
If it were passed tomorrow in Ireland that 49units was the limit, how'd ye cope?
Dairying would suffer the most...

Move to France and push you out.
 
I farm in France.
You guys think that you've got a raw deal...

NO YOU HAVE NOT!

The Dept. of Ag are playing a very nuanced little game with the nitrates in Ireland, a game that's not gone unnoticed...there's regular write ups here about 'dead zones' in Irish coastal waters, and reports about dodgy potable water.
The little trick that the Dept are using is sailing close to the wind, namely using ALL the land of Ireland (mountains, bogs, shyteholes west of the Shannon etc etc) and creating an 'average' for the purpose of nitrates...sustainable????

I'm allowed 49 units of nitrogen per acre.
This is under constant review and analysis of soil nitrate down to a depth of 90cm, must be furnished every year.
I can't buy an artic of "granlime" that happens to have 27.5%N, not even for cash!!
I longingly look back to the days when wwheat got 220-240unitsN/ac...49uN is my absolute limit. No derogation possible either!
So lads cool the jets.


Btw with legumes and crop rotation I'm managing just fine, and enjoy a quite significant cost saving.
If it were passed tomorrow in Ireland that 49units was the limit, how'd ye cope?
Dairying would suffer the most...

1. I actually said the rules we're wrong, not whether nor not we were getting a bad deal.

2. Actually testing soils or water and applying that science is a lot closer to common sense rather than the current system that clearly allows pollution while not working for farmers. I mentioned above the EPA assessment of groundwater and how actually the NW is in better condition than the SE:
Figure%205.7%20(PNG).png

Also by the sounds of things your papers are trying to distract from something cos actually our waters arent in terrible condition
Figure%205.6%20(PNG)-995x484.png

Even compared to the continent:
Figure%205.3%20(PNG)-409x442.png

3. As for 49 units/ac, I'd say I'm not far behind that this year. It'd be rare to find beef farmers above 121 units/ha. Would it limit dairy? Down south definitely, a lot of BMW, unlikely. It would push up land prices. As for legumes/rotations, I've actually been on two intensive farms that are already trialling either species rich grassland or red clovers to reduce nitrates. Most know its coming, like everything though some will struggle to adapt.
 
1. I actually said the rules we're wrong, not whether nor not we were getting a bad deal.

2. Actually testing soils or water and applying that science is a lot closer to common sense rather than the current system that clearly allows pollution while not working for farmers. I mentioned above the EPA assessment of groundwater and how actually the NW is in better condition than the SE:
Figure%205.7%20(PNG).png
looking at that map it seems to suggest that they forgot to measure any water body within 10miles of a city or large town, strange. Also there are large tracts of the darkest brown area (high agricultural intensity) that wouldnt be any way high intensity while there are areas in the low to medium intensity areas that would be intensive agriculture. Looks to me the creators of that map started off with a objective to show ever before drawing the map
 
I farm in France.
You guys think that you've got a raw deal...

NO YOU HAVE NOT!

The Dept. of Ag are playing a very nuanced little game with the nitrates in Ireland, a game that's not gone unnoticed...there's regular write ups here about 'dead zones' in Irish coastal waters, and reports about dodgy potable water.
The little trick that the Dept are using is sailing close to the wind, namely using ALL the land of Ireland (mountains, bogs, shyteholes west of the Shannon etc etc) and creating an 'average' for the purpose of nitrates...sustainable????

I'm allowed 49 units of nitrogen per acre.
This is under constant review and analysis of soil nitrate down to a depth of 90cm, must be furnished every year.
I can't buy an artic of "granlime" that happens to have 27.5%N, not even for cash!!
I longingly look back to the days when wwheat got 220-240unitsN/ac...49uN is my absolute limit. No derogation possible either!
So lads cool the jets.


Btw with legumes and crop rotation I'm managing just fine, and enjoy a quite significant cost saving.
If it were passed tomorrow in Ireland that 49units was the limit, how'd ye cope?
Dairying would suffer the most...

I have to agree with most of your post regrading reducing or N levels in farming. I have dropped down from 150units an ac (180kgs/ha) to under 100untis an ac this year and hopefully get back to around 50units in the next few years without dropping production. Lots of dairy farmers along with a few cereal and beef farmers are completely addicted to Nitrogen. This will have to change
 
looking at that map it seems to suggest that they forgot to measure any water body within 10miles of a city or large town, strange. Also there are large tracts of the darkest brown area (high agricultural intensity) that wouldnt be any way high intensity while there are areas in the low to medium intensity areas that would be intensive agriculture. Looks to me the creators of that map started off with a objective to show ever before drawing the map
Can't speak to that on cities.
As for the intensity regions, I'd say its an average across the counties' areas. Like Dublin would be very intensive in areas but much of the area would be no-ag.
Same for places like Cavan, the density of cows/cattle would be low, but the amount of pigs/chickens much higher.
Same for some of the midlands, areas excluded for very low production or bog with some area very intensive (like cereals) would push the average up
 
I wonder if you overlaid a rainfall chart on that map what would it look like. Im very sceptical of that map linking that seems to show that Ag is the only cause of N in water.
 
I wonder if you overlaid a rainfall chart on that map what would it look like. Im very sceptical of that map linking that seems to show that Ag is the only cause of N in water.

I can't speak from scientific exploration, but I can speak from my own experience.
I live quite close to a major river, and most of the towns and villages in the county and the surrounding counties are either on this river or on smaller rivers that are tributaries of this river. In the past 20 years, every small town and village has seen the end of the septic tank system and the development of sewerage treatment systems - all of which feed treated waste into our waterways. You could call me lucky, but I have managed to work on the construction of some of these systems locally and I have seen how they work and how they are supposed to work.
To put it very simply, these systems consist of a number of filters which remove the solid particles in the sewerage which is then landfilled while the liquid part is discharged into the rivers. There is no process in place to remove the Nutrients from the liquid that is discharged into the waterways.

Second to that, all of these treatment plants are built in close proximity to rivers. One system, that I was involved in the construction of and I know someone who is responsible for maintaining, has flooded every year since its construction. This flooding has seen all of the solid materials in the system at that time being taken out into a major river. We don't hear any reports of this and we don't see any figures in water analysis reports which details this.
 
I farm in France.
You guys think that you've got a raw deal...

NO YOU HAVE NOT!

The Dept. of Ag are playing a very nuanced little game with the nitrates in Ireland, a game that's not gone unnoticed...there's regular write ups here about 'dead zones' in Irish coastal waters, and reports about dodgy potable water.
The little trick that the Dept are using is sailing close to the wind, namely using ALL the land of Ireland (mountains, bogs, shyteholes west of the Shannon etc etc) and creating an 'average' for the purpose of nitrates...sustainable????

I'm allowed 49 units of nitrogen per acre.
This is under constant review and analysis of soil nitrate down to a depth of 90cm, must be furnished every year.
I can't buy an artic of "granlime" that happens to have 27.5%N, not even for cash!!
I longingly look back to the days when wwheat got 220-240unitsN/ac...49uN is my absolute limit. No derogation possible either!
So lads cool the jets.


Btw with legumes and crop rotation I'm managing just fine, and enjoy a quite significant cost saving.
If it were passed tomorrow in Ireland that 49units was the limit, how'd ye cope?
Dairying would suffer the most...

@Sheebadog
Is it a trade secret or can you give us any more information about how you use legumes to reduce your N requirement?
 
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