Gardaí have urged both farmers and the public to be safe during the slurry spreading season.

Farmers in all parts of the country can now spread slurry as the closed period has come to an end.

The opening date for spreading slurry depends on the county that the farm is located in, with the country divided into three zones.

Farmers in Zone A were permitted to spread organic fertiliser (both slurry and farm yard manure) from Tuesday, January 13 of this year.

Farmers in Zone B were allowed to spread organic fertilisers from Friday, January 16.

Farms located in Zone C were be permitted to spread organic fertiliser from yesterday (Sunday, February 1).

Slurry spreading

As slurry spreading season commences, gardaí said it is likely there will be an increase in the volume of agricultural vehicles using the roads.

"If you are travelling behind a tractor or other slow moving vehicle, be patient and don’t be tempted to overtake in a dangerous manner.

"Always be on the look out for farm machinery exiting fields and farm yards," a social media post from An Garda Síochána Donegal read.

Farmers

Gardaí said that farmers "need to be safety conscious too" and when the traffic is building up behind them, keep left when safe to do so in order to allow others to pass safely.

They added that you should never use or hold your mobile phone while driving farm machinery on public roads.

Gardaí also reminded drivers of agricultural vehicles of the following during slurry spreading:

Wash down all wheels regularly to avoid carrying mud and stones onto the public road;
Be particularly careful when transporting material such as silage, slurry, sand and gravel so that it does not spill on the road and pose a risk to other road users;
Do not overload trailers in a manner that would cause them to be unstable on the road;
Look out for low bridges, overhanging trees, overhead cables and uneven road surfaces which could cause the load to shift and possibly overturn;
The driving mirror must always provide an adequate view of the road and all agricultural vehicles must have proper working brakes on both tractor and trailer units. All agricultural vehicles must be fitted with lights, reflectors and indicators;
Large farming vehicles should consider using an escort vehicle to warn other road users and ensure that tractors are driven at an appropriate speed for the road conditions;
Never let an inexperienced driver use machinery;
Ensure that equipment/machinery has been serviced properly and is in good working order;
Be careful when using equipment which you may not have used for some time;
Do not “risk it” - if you do not know how to use the equipment get someone to advise you or find out how to use it safely;
Children should always be supervised on farms;
Visitors (including family relatives) may not be familiar with a farm environment and should be accompanied when out on the farm.