Mr. Bill Callanan:

The objective of somebody who is spreading slurry at this time of year is that they are managing their tanks, they are not managing their slurry. That is the unfortunate reality. If farmers have to apply at this time of the year to empty their tanks, they are invariably just managing the capacity for the winter ahead, whereas we would see slurry as a particularly important and valuable nutrient. It is recognised by the vast majority of farmers as such and they try to optimise the use of the slurry in terms of their system. That generally requires application in springtime or early summer, and certainly not at this time of year.