UFU pushing DAERA to recognise the strain on farmers after excessive rain
The Ulster Farmers’ Union has called on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to recognise the strain farmers are under after more than six weeks of heavy rain.
In an interview with the BBC, Dairy farmer Mervyn Gordon sums it up in one word: “Hectic.”
He is managing a 400,0000-gallon slurry storage tank under the shed where most of his 250-strong herd have spent the winter.
He said that normally at this time of year, the tank should be emptied and slurry spread on the grass to give it time to be absorbed before the first silage is cut in May – but the wet weather is delaying that.
And it has disrupted early potato-planting.
Slurry is important as it is made up of animal manure which contains vital nutrients for growing grass, crops and plants.
It is a readily-available fertiliser for farmers when livestock are housed over winter and is collected in storage pits for use in spring.
But because it can be very nutrient-dense, there are rules on how and when it can be used, so slurry-spreading is only allowed to resume when ground and weather conditions are suitable.
Except in very restricted circumstances, slurry spreading is forbidden in Northern Ireland from 15 October to the following 31 January.
Known as the closed period, it is designed to protect water quality when plants are not growing and cannot absorb the nutrients slurry contains.
Slurry-spreading can only resume when ground and weather conditions are suitable.
Mervyn Gordon’s farm of around 300 acres is nestled at the foot of the North Sperrins – and as well as a large dairy herd, he has 100,000 chickens.
He told the BBC that this has been “one of the worst years” he can remember.
“It has just been fairly hectic, just watching the slurry tanks fill up,” he said.
His farm is currently closed due to a bovine tuberculosis outbreak which means his extra stock can't be moved on and are therefore producing even more slurry.
“That has added a wee bit of extra pressure,” he said.
“So we had to take other steps just to try and make sure that we didn’t run out of storage.”
That has included bringing in specialist equipment to separate the slurry so there is more storage.
But with the herd producing up to 6,000 gallons of slurry a day, any breathing space can be quickly used up.
“Jobs that you would be doing now, all that's piling up,” he added.
“You’ll just be working night and day once the weather turns turns good.”
“If we haven’t got good quality first-cut silage in then the cows are not going to be milking and that's going to have an impact on the profits,” he added.
Meanwhile, Wilson’s Country supplies retailers with potatoes throughout the year and chief executive Angus Wilson said the weather has been a challenge.
“At this stage in February we would usually have some early potatoes planted but this year that has been impossible because of the excessive rainfall,” he told the BBC.
“However, nature usually has a way of re-balancing, so we are hopeful to get planting in the next month and see the crop grow even faster in the warmer mid or late spring weather.”
Changing weather patterns have caused frustration for the sector in recent years, which has led to some growers warning of shortages and price rises.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union said “draconian planning rules” were hampering some farmers in their efforts to modernise and ease the challenges they face in managing nutrients on farms.
Deputy president John McLenaghan told the BBC that increased pressure on slurry storage capacity has created difficult conditions for farms that strive to remain compliant with environmental regulations.
He added that farmers were resilient, but “resilience isn’t unlimited” and called on DAERA to provide “appropriate” flexibility.
“If storage capacity is becoming a welfare concern or issues are emerging, farmers should contact their UFU technical officer for advice and guidance,” he said.