Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Great progress has been made in recent years on the introduction of low emissions slurry spreading and it is having a real impact. Through the on-farm investment scheme, TAMS, we have seen just under €100 million invested in low emissions slurry spreading machines and equipment. There are now approximately 3,500 low emissions slurry spreading machines in the country, from a base of none between five and seven years ago.

Most of the national ammonia emissions come from the agricultural sector, and a significant volume from slurry. The old splash-plate technology where slurry hits the plate and then sprays up in the air before it hits the ground increases ammonia emissions and it increases the loss to the atmosphere. It also leads to less of the organic material going into the ground and growing grass. What low emissions slurry spreading does, either through dribbling or a trailing shoe system, is leave slurry along the ground. The machinery is much more expensive. Machines can cost up to €40,000 but there is a tremendous number of them now. We have seen a significant uptake. It is a requirement now for all farmers in nitrates derogation to spread slurry using low emissions slurry spreading equipment. So far, it has resulted in a reduction of 7% in our national ammonia emissions. We are going to step this up a lot more significantly in the time ahead. It has great potential. It is a win-win.

The capital investment is more expensive but we are putting the grant aid into that to support farmers. Ultimately, it pay offs in the utilisation of nitrogen and other ingredients in the slurry to grow grass and get it into the ground, where we want it to be. It needs to be spread at a rate that is most efficient so the grass grows while minimising in every way possible the impact on the environment around us. I look forward to continuing to step this out to support farmers to adopt this technology over the coming years. I commend the agricultural community on the tremendous work it has done in adapting to this and embracing it.

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