It’s time for a flexible week by week rethink on slurry spreading

In May, 2013, the Agriculture and Environment Ministers, Simon Coveney and Phil Hogan, announced a two-week extension of the spreading season for chemical fertilisers, thus postponing the start of the closed period from September 15 to September 30.

It was a welcome decision, taken to give farmers a better chance of addressing fodder shortages during the winter — but slurry spreading was not included.

We can presume that the ministers didn’t have an accurate weather forecast four months in advance.