Kildare County Council Urges Care During Slurry Spreading
28 May 2026: Kildare County Council is reminding farmers across the county to take care when spreading slurry and fertilisers to help protect local rivers, lakes and drinking water sources.
This reminder highlights the importance of following the European Union (Good Agricultural Practices for Protection of Waters) Regulations, 2025, as amended, which set out how and when organic and chemical fertilisers can be applied to land and to take account of ‘buffer distances’, ground conditions, forecasted weather conditions, and the type of equipment to be used.
The Council is also reminding farmers that the use of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment is compulsory for the application of slurry on holdings with a previous year’s grassland stocking rate of 100 kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure or above prior to export of livestock manure from the holding. LESS equipment will reduce emissions and nutrient runoff into rivers, lakes and groundwater.
Kildare County Council staff continue to carry out inspections under the EPA’s National Agricultural Inspection Programme, and breaches of the regulations may result in penalties.
Kildare County Council is urging continued vigilance during the slurry spreading season to protect water quality across the county.
Further information is available on the Council website at
https://kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/Environment/Water/FarmingandtheEnvironment/
