Kildare County Council Issues Advice to Tillage Farmers Ahead of Planting Season 

As the 2026/2027 planting season gets underway, Kildare County Council is reminding tillage farmers of the importance of complying with the Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water Regulations 2022, as amended, to protect water quality and the wider environment. 

From 1 January 2025, the use of low emission slurry spreading (LESS) methods, such as trailing shoe and dribble bar, is compulsory for the application of slurry on holdings with grassland stocking rates of 100kg N/ha from grazing livestock manure or above prior to export of livestock manure from the holding. LESS is also required for pig slurry applications.  

Where livestock manure is being applied to arable land, LESS equipment must also be used, unless the livestock manure is incorporated into soil within 24 hours of application.  

Using LESS equipment can reduce ammonia emissions by 30 to 60% compared with the traditional splash plate method. By applying slurry closer to the ground and with greater precision, LESS can also help reduce the risk of nutrient runoff into rivers, lakes and groundwater.   

Farmers are also reminded that ploughing or cultivating for non-grassland crops is prohibited within 3 meters of watercourses identified on the modern 1:5,000 scale Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) mapping or better. 

For late harvested crops, a minimum uncultivated buffer of 6 meters must be maintained to protect any intersecting watercourses. Late harvested crops include vegetable crops harvested after 15th September, as well as fodder beet, sugar beet, main crop potatoes and maize. Cereal crops and beans are excluded. 

Shallow cultivation or sowing of a crop must take place within 10 days of the baling of straw or, where straw is chopped, within 10 days of harvest. In all circumstances, shallow cultivation or the sowing of a crop/catch crop must take place within 14 days of harvesting. 

Further information is available at: 

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9563-rural-environment-sustainability-nitrates/