Re-opening following the prohibited period for landspreading

Re-opening following the prohibited period for landspreading

Organic fertiliser (slurry) can be applied to the land from 15 January onwards in County Longford provided that ground conditions and the weather forecast are suitable.

Farmers are advised to make slurry contractors aware of any water that may be present in the fields where slurry is being applied and to ensure that slurry is kept back to the correct distances.

Longford County Council reminds you that organic fertiliser or soiled water shall not be applied to land within the following buffer zones to protect our waterways and water sources:

1. 5 metres of surface watercourse. This distance is 10 metres for 2 weeks preceding and 2 weeks following the periods when application of fertilisers to land is prohibited.
2. 20 metres of a lake shore.
3. 200 metres of an abstraction point for a water scheme which supplies 100m³ or more of water per day or 500 or more persons.
4. 100 metres of an abstraction point for a water scheme which supplies 10m³ or more of water per day or serves 50 or more persons.
5. 25 metres of an abstraction point not specified in 3 or 4 above.
6. 15 metres of exposed cavernous or karstified limestone features.

Spring is the time of the year when most slurry spreading should take place. Slurry is a valuable source of nutrients for plant growth and if used efficiently can reduce the need for artificial fertilisers. However, these can damage our environment if not managed correctly. The loss of nutrients, Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to water from fertiliser application is a key factor impacting water quality in Ireland.

Slurry should only be applied when soil temperatures are above 6 degrees and ground conditions, and the weather forecast are suitable. Avoid spreading slurry if the ground is frozen, water-logged or if heavy rain is forecast. It is important that the applied slurry gets down to the roots of plants such as grass in the growing season, preferably bare fields, or fields with low grass cover. On very heavy land it may be necessary to delay spreading until after the first cut silage. Extra slurry storage allows more flexibility on spreading times, particularly in a very wet spring.

From 2025, everyone with a grassland stocking rate of 100kg N/ha or above must apply slurry using Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS). LESS must also be used for the application of pig slurry.