Do it anyway, cant have them swimming in it, just avoid main roads if possible
Northern Ireland Milk Price Tracker
- Thread starter it's not over
- Start date
Boohoo
Member
- Location
- Newtownabbey
I agree that you can't have them swimming in it, you have to spread it or export it. Blowing it over the hedge isn't an option according to the powers that be.
Good luck getting rid of it any other way
Boohoo
Member
- Location
- Newtownabbey
Legislation states that sludgigators must not be used. If you're reported or caught you'll get a visit. Once you're on their radar they'll keep an eye on you.
- Location
- Ballyclare Northern Ireland
With some of the attitude and comments being put on a public forum here regarding sludigators and spreading on waterlogged ground its no wonder Andrew Muir and the NIEA have the livestock industry in the cross hairs.
- Location
- Co antrim
Would it be better to let them tramp in it til it dries
- Location
- Ballyclare Northern Ireland
No it would be better to have a bit of extra storage or less stock so that as a business you would have contingency in place. Better that than taking valuable fertiliser and wasting it in a way that could land you with a pollution incident and a financial penalty. If you try the animal welfare angle with the powers that be they will tell you to take them to Ballymena.
mixed farm
Member
I'm sure weewilly really wants someone lecturing him on top of everything else
He could have enough slurry storage for 7 months and still be full at this stage.
- Location
- East Tyrone
I know there's a few on here have rain gauges. Does anyone have a record of what has actually fallen since mid October?
I agree with you. After the summer of '17 I cut back stock. I never wanted to have sleepless nights like I had in spring '18 wondering where I'd get the next load of silage. I have two bays of silage today.
BUT regarding slurry. With reduced stock I have seven months storage. My cows went in to the house in September. We are now in April. Seven months. I got some slurry out but the opportunities were small. The above ground tank couldn't be emptied in Oct due to ground conditions. Then you have to add in the rain that's went in to the above ground. Please tell me what I've done wrong @shumungus . I would like to be a good farmer.
I've maintained for a long time that the slurry ban causes more problems than it solves.
Spreading conditions in October last were very poor, but they were better in November and I decided to be a law breaker and put out FYM on this years cutting ground in the middle of November. There were a few days around then when slurry could have been put out, and indeed some did.
There was a wee spell in January when slurry could have been put out too, but that was off-limits as well.
The concept of it being unsuitable to spread between two set dates and suitable the rest of the year is, and always was, idiotic in the extreme.
Spreading conditions in October last were very poor, but they were better in November and I decided to be a law breaker and put out FYM on this years cutting ground in the middle of November. There were a few days around then when slurry could have been put out, and indeed some did.
There was a wee spell in January when slurry could have been put out too, but that was off-limits as well.
The concept of it being unsuitable to spread between two set dates and suitable the rest of the year is, and always was, idiotic in the extreme.
- Location
- Co. Antrim
Yeah remember that spell in January seen more slurry spread round here then than I’d done in the closed period in a long time
Boohoo
Member
- Location
- Newtownabbey
That's true but if you have to break rules you try not to break all of them at once. The powers that be consider piping slurry onto your driest and flatest field, even if it is waterlogged to be a much more acceptable solution than sludgigating. Even piping it during the closed period is considered more acceptable than sludgigating when the calendar says you're allowed to spread.
- Location
- East Tyrone
Armagh weather station data says that from Oct to March inclusive, there was 540mm of rain. Balllypatrick Forest had 901mm. That's a lot of water falling on to lagoons and stores, plus the resulting dirty water from yards to deal with.
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My neighbour piped 40 acres in January. I didn't want to break rules. He's sitting safe today and I'm at the bottom of the slats.
That's the problem with idiotic legislation.
People who abide by it out of conscience or for whatever reason frequently end up suffering.
I don't get any payments therefore although I was flouting legislation, they don't have the easy option of simply withholding money from me and I was well prepared to argue my case for doing it if need be.
Most farmers aren't in that position therefore the risks attached to operating outside of the rules are greater.
I had a neighbour in a similar position last week and I was able to take about 30,000gal from him between a dirty water tank and a bit of ground grazed late in to the winter which was pretty bare.
It'll get him a bit of breathing space for now but without improvement in the weather he'll soon be in the same position again.
Hope you get sorted soon.
Mouser
Member
- Location
- near Belfast
Same spot, grass is growing, nice cover for the ducksView attachment 1173365Thats as bad as it got.Grass will be jumping today!
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Just over 300mm since the start of the year. In isolation it’s not to unusual but the fact that it is little and often with very few dry days means there hasn’t been much drying
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Suckndiesel
Member
- Location
- Newtownards
246mm here on the ards peninsula since the start of the year.
586mm from mid October to today, 63mm of that in the first 10 days. Everyone not from the ards seems to be under the impression the ards is all dry ground. It is when we get normal rainfall of around 750mm a year but we aren’t geared up for 40% extra rain.
Few boys talking on here about extra storage to save it for better conditions which would be good but I don’t even think you could get planning for more storage now.
586mm from mid October to today, 63mm of that in the first 10 days. Everyone not from the ards seems to be under the impression the ards is all dry ground. It is when we get normal rainfall of around 750mm a year but we aren’t geared up for 40% extra rain.
Few boys talking on here about extra storage to save it for better conditions which would be good but I don’t even think you could get planning for more storage now.