There have been over 500 rule breaches related to the improper use of slurry recorded on NI farms over a five-year period.

The latest available figures show that 526 cross compliance breaches relating to slurry usage were found from 2019 to 2023.

The figures were published last week by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir in response to a written question from SDLP MLA Cara Hunter.

The highest number of slurry rule breaches during the period was in 2020, when 139 violations were recorded, and the lowest number was 87 breaches in 2022.

When broken down as specific rules, the figures show that 350 of the 526 breaches were for pollution to waterways by slurry or other farmyard effluent.

After that, the next most common issue was spreading within buffer zones, with 61 incidents recorded over the five-year period.

Slurry spreading rules

There were 33 breaches for closed season spreading, 29 incidents of non-uniform spreading, and 27 violations for unapproved application methods.

Other slurry spreading rules led to fewer issues, including 15 cases where the location was likely to pollute, eight cases of applying on unsuitable ground, and one breach for over-application of slurry.

There have also been very few cross compliance fines for not using low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE), with just one breach recorded by DAERA inspectors in both 2022 and 2023.

It became compulsory for agricultural contractors to use LESSE in 2021 and farms with over 200 livestock units were no longer allowed to use splash plates from 2022.