Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is always the case. There should be exceptional circumstances, and they would have to engage and explain those circumstances from an animal welfare point of view.

There is a long slurry-spreading season from early spring until 1 October. The use of chemical fertilisers finishes in mid-September. As I say, grass does not grow in mid- or late October and November in the same the way it does in April, May or June. As for nutrients, if they are applied, it is not the time to be spreading either fertiliser or manure because this is not the time of year for animals.

We hope to get a long growing season. It would be a good deal if animals could continue to graze until 1 November in most parts of the country but any land on which slurry is spread up to, for example 8 or 15 October, will not be ready for grazing by 1 November. Those nutrients will still be sitting in the soil in November. There is every likelihood and a high risk, subject to weather patterns, of their potentially ending up where we do not want them to end up, particularly if they are not utilised by plants. We cannot have such a situation.

I have considered this matter. I am always flexible in circumstances where it is absolutely needed, but autumn this year is, thankfully, very different from autumn last year. Our collective priority must be to protect water quality and ensure, through that, that we retain our nitrates derogation. The negotiations relating to the latter will take place in the coming year - in the spring and summer - and the objective is t have it renewed for the following year.

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