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FARMERS across Tyrone are being urging to take extra care to protect water resources when applying slurry, manures and fertilisers during the new season.
NI Water has reminded landowners that careful consideration of timing and placement is essential to prevent pollution of rivers, lakes and drinking water supplies.
Slurry or manure spread in unsuitable conditions can quickly be washed into nearby watercourses, particularly during periods of rainfall.
The utility warned steep slopes and soils with impeded drainage are especially vulnerable to run-off.
Even short rainfall events lasting just a few hours can account for a large proportion of the total annual phosphorus load entering rivers and lakes, with serious consequences for water quality.
While the closed period for organic manures has now ended, farmers are reminded that strict rules still apply. Organic manures, including slurry and dirty water, must not be spread within 250 metres of a borehole used for public water supply, within 50 metres of a borehole, spring or well, within 30 metres of lakes, or within 15 metres of any other waterway, reduced to five metres when using Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESSE).
Spreading is also prohibited on waterlogged, flooded or flood-prone land, on frozen or snow-covered ground, if heavy rain is forecast within the next 48 hours, or on steep slopes with an average incline of 20 per-cent or more on grassland and 15 per-cent or more on other land.
NI Water Catchment Officer Peter Quinn said that careful management at the start of the season can make a significant difference. He said that spreading slurry on very wet ground or during poor weather conditions increases the risk of runoff, resulting in valuable nutrients entering watercourses.
Treating polluted water is difficult and costly, he added, but remains essential to ensure the supply of high-quality drinking water.
NI Water is also encouraging farmers to take practical steps to improve water quality, including only spreading slurry and fertiliser when ground and weather conditions are suitable, using DAERA online tools to calculate phosphorus balances and manure nitrogen loading, and checking farmyards for slurry runoff or other sources of pollution.
Additional measures include preventing cattle access to rivers to reduce erosion and sediment loss, making use of Soil Nutrient Health Scheme results and runoff risk maps where available, and minimising phosphorus inputs by meeting crop requirements through manures.
NI Water noted that each tonne of concentrate feed contains approximately five kilograms of phosphorus, and eliminating unnecessary chemical phosphorus fertiliser can both save money and benefit the environment.
Farmers are also reminded to follow the Nutrients Action Programme to ensure efficient farming practices while safeguarding water quality at the start of the new slurry season.
