The Farm Hazardous Waste Collection Scheme will operate again this autumn. There will be 10 sites located throughout the country where farmers can bring a range of hazardous materials to ensure they will be safely disposed of, including things like pesticides, veterinary medicines, doses, dips, wormers, dry cow and mastitis tubes, needles and syringes, waste paints, aerosols, corrosives, oil and air filters, oily wastes, brake fluids, brake pads, antifreeze, adhesives, coolants, grease cartridges and creosote among other items.

On page 41, Andy Doyle looks at more details of the scheme, including what materials will be accepted and what the costs involved are. He will also outline dates and locations of the collections.

Catch crops deadline

Over the next few weeks, there are several deadlines that farmers must be aware of. For any farmers who chose catch crops as one of their options for GLAS, the deadline to have this planted has been extended to 31 September.

Heavy rain over the past number of weeks may have halted planting in some areas of the country. Hopefully, a break in the weather will allow farmers to complete before the deadline. The crop can only be established using light cultivation techniques by either broadcasting or drilling a seed mixture. It is recommended after seeds have been sown that the field is rolled to improve soil to seed contact, which will aid in the establishment of the crop. The list of cover crops covered under the scheme include buckwheat, crimson clover, berseem clover, forage rape, mustard, oats, phacelia, rye, tillage radish, vetch, leafy turnip, peas and beans. To comply with the scheme, catch crops must remain in situ until 1 December. Grazing of the crop is permitted after this date.

Chemical fertiliser

The deadline for farmers to spread chemical fertiliser is also fast approaching. From 15 September, farmers will be prohibited from spreading fertiliser until January 2018. The end of the prohibited period varies, depending on the zone that your farm is located.

Farmers are still permitted to spread organic fertiliser until 15 October and farmyard manure until 1 November.