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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 1

Written Answers. - Organic Fertilisers.

Billy Timmins

Question:

131 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the guidelines, if any, his Department has outlining times of the year that slurry can be spread. [7420/99]

The Code of Good Agricultural Practice to Protect Waters from Pollution by Nitrates, published by my Department in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, sets down guidelines for the application of organic fertilisers. It is recommended that land spreading of slurry should be carried out as early as practicable in the growing season so as to maximise uptake of nutrients by crops and minimise pollution risks. Each year at least half the slurry produced during the winter housing period should be landspread by 1 July and the remainder by 30 September. As a general practice slurry applications to land should be avoided during the non-growing season which varies throughout the country depending on local climatic conditions between the months of October and February.

Participants in the Rural Environment Protection Scheme must comply with the agri-environmental specifications which include the following requirements. Manures or fertilisers are not to be applied where heavy rain is forecast in the ensuing 48 hours. Applications of slurry are to be applied at times which coincide with the growth pattern of different crops and spreading is to be avoided on wet or waterlogged soils, frozen or snow covered soils, land sloping steeply towards water courses, exposed bedrock or bare ground. Contamination of surface water or wells is to be avoided by leaving a buffer strip between these resources and the application area. This strip shall extend to 10 metres in the case of smaller water courses, 20 metres in the case of lakes and main channels, 50 metres in the case of domestic wells and up to 300 metres in the case of a public water supply. Slurry shall not be spread within 50 metres of any private dwelling, school, public building or amenity area.

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