Protection of water quality & compliance with the requirements of the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations 2022, as amended.

Land spreading procedures and weather conditions

This guidance is being issued to promote the protection of water quality in line with national obligations to protect and improve water quality under the provisions of the Water Framework Directive.

The regulations detail the national requirements regarding the collection, storage, management and land-spreading of slurry, farmyard manure, and soiled water produced on farm-holdings. The regulations also specify general requirements in terms of the land application of chemical fertilisers and miscellaneous provisions relating to the protection of water quality.

With specific reference to land spreading activities, the regulations detail requirements as to the manner of application of organic fertiliser, weather conditions, and periods of the year when land spreading is prohibited.

In summary: Organic and chemical fertilisers or soiled water shall not be applied to land:

• By use of an umbilical system with an upward-facing splash-plate.
• By use of a tanker with an upward-facing splash-plate.
• By use of a sludge irrigator mounted on a tanker, or
• From a road or passageway adjacent to the land irrespective of whether the road or passageway is within or outside the cartilage of the holding.

Fertilisers or soiled water shall not be applied to land in any of the following circumstances:

• The land is waterlogged.
• The land is flooded or likely to flood.
• The land is snow covered or frozen.
• Heavy rain is forecast within 48 hours. Farmers are to have due regard for weather forecasts issued by Met Eireann.
• 5m of surface watercourses. The 5m distance shall be increased to 10m for a period of two weeks preceding and two weeks following the prohibited land spreading period.
• 20m of a lake shoreline or turlough likely to flood.
• The ground slopes steeply and there is a risk of water pollution having regard to factors such as surface run-off pathways, the presence of land drains, the absence of hedgerows to mitigate surface run-off, soil condition, and ground cover.

Prohibited land spreading periods:

The regulations specify the period during which the application of fertilisers to land is prohibited in County Sligo.

Prohibited land spreading periods in County Sligo:

• 15^th September 2025 to 29^th January 2026 in the case of the application of chemical fertiliser.
• 1^st October 2025 to 15^th January 2026 in the case of the application of organic fertiliser (other than farmyard manure).
• 1^st November 2025 to 15^thJanuary 2026 in the case of the application of farmyard manure.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, in consultation with the Department of Housing Community and Local Government may issue public notifications regarding amendments to the prohibited land-spreading periods based on criteria published by DAFM.

Low Emission Slurry Spreading:

The use of Low Emission Slurry Spreading is compulsory on farms stocked at 100kg N/ha or above from January 1^st, 2025.

Miscellaneous Provisions:

Silage bales cannot be stacked more than 2 bales high or stored within 20m of a surface water or water abstraction point unless there are storage facilities in place to collect any potential effluent. 

Supplementary feeding points cannot be placed within 20m of a watercourse or on bare rock.

Sacrifice paddocks or designated areas of the farm where livestock are kept to “save the rest of the land”, particularly during the winter months, are not allowed.

Full details on the provisions of the above regulations are available to view on the DAFM website and at: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/113/made/en/pdf