Agriculture minister called on to explain whether slurry spreading rules are working in practice with prolonged wet weather

Independent MLA, Claire Sugden, has asked what evidence the Department has on ground conditions around the October deadline and how it has dealt with cases where wet weather prevented farmers from complying.

“Farming is getting harder," she said.

"The cost of feed, fuel and machinery puts pressure on farm budgets, and a few weeks of rain can undo months of plannin

"Farmers can be ready to spread and make the right call to wait because the ground is too wet”.

Ms Sugden said that ‘by the time it dries out, the deadline can have passed’ – and they’re left carrying more slurry into the winter than they planned for.

“The Minister has pointed to storage, but extra capacity costs money and takes time to put in place,” she added.

"I want him to show what evidence his Department has on how many days farmers actually had to spread safely before the deadline and what practical help is available when those days are lost.

"Farmers take protecting their land and our waterways seriously.

"The Department needs to show that the rules take seriously the conditions farmers are working in,” she added