Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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311. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to increase the time for the spreading of manure in County Donegal in view of the weather conditions over the period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53981/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Closed periods for spreading manure are designed to protect water from nutrients leaching from land. These closed periods cover those times when there is usually low levels of grass growth to use the nutrients from the manure. Farms are required to have storage capacity available for manure to cover these closed periods.

Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme aims to reduce water pollution resulting from the spreading or discharge of livestock manures and the excessive use of fertilisers. Ireland, in common with all member states, defines set periods when the land application of fertiliser.

These periods are set out in the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2017, as amended, and commence each year on:

- 15th of September (for chemical fertilisers);

- 15th of October (for Organic manures); and

- 1st of November (for farm yard manure).

These closed periods for land application of fertiliser in Ireland are important to protect water quality and were decided following extensive consultation with farming bodies and the European Commission as Ireland introduced the Nitrates Action Programme.

The provisions of the Regulations are underpinned by scientific research and good agricultural practice. The most recent scientific studies carried out on a diverse range of farm and soil types as part of Teagasc’s ongoing Agricultural Catchments Programme have provided further evidence in support of regulating spreading periods as an effective means of reducing nutrient losses to waters.

While acknowledging challenging weather conditions may be experienced during certain periods of the year and may vary from year to year; I do not have any plans to make changes to the manure spreading deadline for 2021.