Regulations regarding spreading of slurry and farmyard manure

This is a reminder that while the closed period for land spreading Slurry and Farmyard Manure finished on January 13th 2025 there are still regulations regarding the manner in which slurry and farmyard manure are applied to mitigate risks to water quality due to nutrient runoff.

GROUND CONDITIONS;

Organic fertilisers or soiled water shall not be applied to land when;

the land is waterlogged, flooded or likely to flood.
the land is snow-covered or frozen.
heavy rain is forecast within 48 hours.
the ground slopes steeply and there is a risk of water pollution having regard to factors such as surface runoff pathways, the presence of land drains, the absence of hedgerows to mitigate surface flow, soil condition and ground cover.

BUFFER DISTANCES;

Organic fertiliser or soiled water shall not be applied to land within—

5m of any surface waters (Note this is increased to 10m until 27/01/2025).
20m of a lake shoreline.
200m of the abstraction point of any surface waters, borehole, spring or well used for the abstraction of water for human consumption in a water scheme supplying 100m3 or more of water per day or serving 500 or more persons,
100m of the abstraction point of any surface waters, borehole, spring or well used for the abstraction of water for human consumption in a water scheme supplying 10m3 or more of water per day or serving 50 or more persons,
25m of any borehole, spring or well used for the abstraction of water for human consumption other than a borehole, spring or well specified in paragraph

EQUIPMENT;

Livestock manure, other organic fertilisers, effluents, soiled water and chemical fertilisers shall be applied to land in as accurate and uniform a manner as is practically possible.
Organic fertilisers or soiled water shall not be applied to land using an umbilical system or tanker with an upward-facing splashplate, a sludge irrigator mounted on a tanker, from a road,
Soiled water shall not be applied to land in quantities which exceed in any period of 42 days a total quantity of 50,000 litres per hectare, or by irrigation at a rate exceeding 5 mm per hour.
Low emission slurry spreading equipment must be used for the application of slurry on holdings with grassland stocking rates of 100 kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock. This applies to all Slurry produced by pigs. Low emission equipment shall be used to apply livestock manure to arable land or the livestock manure shall be incorporated within 24 hours.

Key Points to Note:

Investigation of Breaches: If Fingal County Council receives complaints about inappropriate slurry or soiled water spreading, an investigation will be conducted. Fingal County Council also spot checks lands for slurry and soiled water spreading. Breaches of the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2022 may result in significant fines and reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine.
Water Management: Ensure that extraneous waters (e.g. clean water from buildings and open yards) are not directed to slurry tanks to maximize storage capacity.

We thank you for your cooperation in adhering to these regulations to protect our water quality.