Many tillage farmers are interested in the option of building an open concrete slurry store or geomembrane-lined store on their farm.

Having a slurry store gives tillage farmers the option of importing cattle and pig slurry which will help boost the organic matter and fertility of their farms.

In the example provided, we outline the costs of an external underground slurry tank with capacity of 582m3 (128,040 gallons) of slurry. The tank is 25m (82ft) long, 9.7m (31’ 82”) wide and 2.4m (8ft) deep (Figure 1).

In Table 1, we outline the Department’s reference costs for our outdoor tank example. We also outline the different grant rates a farmer may be eligible for depending on the scheme eligibility and if they are in a registered farming partnership. The total cost of this tank came to €37,809 excluding VAT.

Under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) the maximum grant an applicant could get if building this tank would be €22,685.

A non-qualifying YFCIS farmer could apply for grant aid through the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage scheme, where the maximum grant would be €15,124 for a successful applicant based on this example.

Main Specifications

Open external tanks must be designed with full allowance for rainfall within the tank area. The Department says external slurry tanks must have at least two well-separated agitation points.

It is strongly recommended by the Department that all external tanks are covered with a solid cover (not slats) for the control of odours, greenhouse gasses, ammonia and rainwater, but this is not mandatory and we have not included this in the costing table.

Where external tanks are either uncovered or are covered by a flexible cover, then they must be surrounded by a safety fence. The fence must be stock-proof and child-proof, and 1.8m high. The agitation points for uncovered stores must be outside the line of the safety fence and covered by a heavy duty manhole slab/slat.

There must be a minimum distance of 450mm between the edge of the manhole safety cover and the safety fence. For the distance the fence runs along the agitation point, the fence must be over the slab/slat and not alongside. A fence post must be erected midway along the slab/slat to secure the fence.

Where the agitation point extends into the tank, the slab/slat may be supported on a combination of pillars and beam or solid walls along the side. Alternatively, proprietary agitation platforms are acceptable, once accepted by the Department.

Concrete must be purchased on the basis of a characteristic 28-day cube crushing strength of 37N/mm2. Minimum cement content must be 310 kg/m3.

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