Mary T Sweeney has criticised Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue for his failure to extend the time limit for farmers to spread slurry on their fields.
The final date for spreading slurry on farms in Ireland this year was September 30, with the closed period beginning on October 1.
The Aontú General Election candidate for Donegal said: “The slurry spreading deadline must be extended into October in a bid to help the agricultural sector in Donegal. Many farmers are working flat out, struggling to meet the current cut off point at the end of September. Spring and summer are the usual periods for this kind of work. However, farmers are in a total tailspin given the appalling wet weather we’ve had. Fields all over Donegal are still sodden.”
Ms Sweeney said: “As with my party colleagues throughout the country, I’ve spoken to farmers locally and they tell me they are working from dawn to dusk trying complete the job before the current cut off point. Attempting to get tanks emptied in time has become a challenging situation.
As Donegal’s first female auctioneer I’ve had a strong working relationship with farmers over the years. I fully understand environmental concerns surrounding potential pollution of our waterways. However, slurries are a valuable source of nutrient for plant growth and I would trust Donegal’s farmers to act in responsible manner when spreading to minimise the risk of pollution. In turn, I’m asking Minister McConalogue to be sensitive to the predicament which some farmers find themselves.”
Ms Sweeney said farmers in Donegal have had a trying time this year and they need urgent help.
“Extending the slurry deadline would be a step in the right direction,” she continued.
“Farmers in Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford can start to spread slurry again in mid-January, yet farmers in Donegal and other north-west counties have to wait until the 31st of that month. Why the discrepancy? To compensate for this, surely with the unsuitable ground conditions experienced here this year farmers should be given an extra few weeks in October.
“I’m appealing to the Minister of Agriculture to give immediate consideration to the matter and give Donegal farmers some leeway.”
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