ICMSA push for an extension to closing date for spreading of lime

GIVEN the extremely wet conditions continuing across the country and with the weather outlook for the coming week not particularly positive, the Deputy President of ICMSA, Eamon Carroll has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine to immediately extend the closing date for the spreading of lime under the Liming Scheme.

“Ground conditions remain extremely difficult on both dry and wet land and specifically there is no prospect for farmers in wet areas being able to meet the March 31 deadline without doing severe damage to land.

“The jobs are just piling up and the reality is that when land does dry, farmers will be prioritising getting animals to grass given the scarcity of fodder, then there's spreading slurry and fertiliser to get grass growing. “We can safely anticipate that liming contractors will be inundated with calls to get the lime spread before the deadline while also trying to do other jobs for farmers,” Mr Carroll, who also chairs the Farm & Rural Affairs Committee stated.

“In the interests of health and safety as well as giving farmers and contractors a badly needed break, while also ensuring that the lime is spread in appropriate conditions thus delivering the maximum environmental benefit, the Minister should extend the deadline to June 30.

“It's logical, it's do-able and sensible and would remove one element of pressure from farmers at an extremely difficult time.

“The Minister has the authority to change this deadline and he should do so immediately in recognition of the challenges facing farmers,” he said.