Restrictions with regard to slurry spreading which could cost farmers an contractors 35 million Euro per annum must be made up by Government grants for machinery upgrading.
This comes as there are reports this week that farmers could be hit with with new rules on how they spread slurry in the attempt to reduce emissions. The latest proposals have been outlined the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) Clean Air Strategy paper. The new rules will require the use of modern low emission slurry spreading techniques such as trailing shoe/hose instead of the traditional ‘splash-plate’ technique.
I submitted a detailed submission on this issue to the department earlier this year and in that submission I made the following obversation- ‘Should the Government wish to pursue less and restrict or ban splash plate slurry spreading then the cost for farmers and contractors of upgrading their equipment must be funded entirely through Government grants as to expect operators to upgrade perfectly good equipment in order to comply with new regulations is unreasonable’ That remains my position and if these proposed new rules became a reality I am proposing that grants for the upgrade of spreading equipment will be provided by the Government and I will be putting down questions to the the Minister and the Department on this matter to see how far advanced they are with these proposals. Submissions made by myself and many others should be taken into account when arriving at their overall policy on clear air and emissions otherwise there is not much point taking the time to submit them in the first place.
NOTE: The full submission I sent to the Department on the Clean Air Strategy is attached.submission-on-clean-air-strategy-draft-3-1-1