Ensure slurry export forms are submitted

​Any farm exporting slurry, chicken litter or manure to another farm, must submit this information online to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) by the end of January 2025.

Under the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) for Northern Ireland, farmers must be able to show they meet the 170 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare limit over a year.

This is effectively a stocking limit and while in NI many farms are working under this limit, those that are over the 170kgN/ha/year must take action to ensure cross compliance penalties are avoided.

If a farm’s livestock manure limit is above 170kg/ha/year, in order to comply, a farm can do one of the following;

 Apply for a nitrates derogation to operate at up to 250kgN/ha/year (grazing livestock only). Application forms must be submitted to NIEA on or before 1 March and the additional requirements met;

 Farm more eligible land (must be on Single Application Form (SAF));

 Reduce livestock numbers;

 Export slurry / litter / manure – a record of this must be submitted to NIEA by 31 January.

Farmers with an approved derogation have until 1 March to submit the export manure information along with their fertilisation accounts.

To submit manure export forms online by the 31 January deadline, farmers (or their agents) will need to access the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ online services through the ‘Government Gateway’ (the same access used for SAF forms). The ‘manure export records’ form can be found under the CAFRE nutrient calculator’s section. UFU technical officers are available to assist members with the various calculations required.

For more information visit the UFU website (news tab).