Farmers could be required to have extra slurry storage per animal under a new review planned by the Department of Agriculture.

Its officials are assessing exactly how much slurry is produced by livestock, a process that is set to be complete by December.

This new guidance will then form part of the Nitrates Directive.

Speaking at a Department of Agriculture webinar, Bernard Harris from the Department’s Nitrates Division said that the review is being carried out to assess if existing slurry storage capacity figures accurately reflect changes in animal size in recent years.

At present, farmers with dairy cows in Ireland are required to have 0.33m3 of slurry storage per week of housing.

That figure is 12% higher in Northern Ireland and 35% higher in Denmark.

Farmers are required to have sufficient slurry storage for all their livestock for between 16 and 22 weeks, depending on farm location.

If the tables for livestock manure are revised upwards, many farmers will require extra slurry storage.

Soiled water

Meanwhile, Department officials have indicated there will be flexibility around soiled water storage requirements where there is sufficient storage for both soiled water and slurry mixed in the same tank.

Officials have also warned that they will clamp down on “map acres” used for stocking rate calculations.