FARMERS WANT to spread slurry immediately despite rigid new laws, designed to protect water quality, which designate January 12th as the start date. The Irish Farmers Association has launched a campaign to allow slurry spreading to begin because conditions now are favourable.
Millions of tonnes of organic manure are building up on Irish farms because of poor weather conditions in August and September when farmers could have legally spread the material.
Despite a month-long extension to the slurry-spreading season given in late autumn, farmers now want an early start.
President of the IFA Pádraig Walshe called on Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith to allow farmers to spread essential farm nutrients in advance of the important grass-growing season.
"Farmers have taken the environmentally sound option not to spread slurry when weather and ground conditions were not appropriate," he said. "However, over the last three weeks ground conditions have improved considerably."
Mr Walshe said it was impossible to "farm by date" in Ireland, a view supported by the Fine Gael food and horticulture spokesman, Andrew Doyle.
He said a rigid calendar-controlled system could not respond to changing weather conditions and that bureaucratic rules governing the timing for the spreading of slurry were doing more harm than good to the environment and should be urgently reviewed.