Farmers are permitted to spread cattle slurry using a splash plate on land with steep hills, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed.

In response to a query from Agriland, a DAFM spokesperson said that a downward-facing splash-plate can be used to spread cattle slurry where for operator health and safety reasons "it would be inappropriate to comply with the requirement to use low emission slurry spreading (LESS) due to land within a grassland parcel sloping steeply".

The definition of a steep slope within the Nitrates Regulations is ground which has an average incline of 20% or more in the case of grassland, or 15% or more in the case of other land.

The requirement for use of LESS under the Nitrates Regulations (SI 588 of 2025) is as follows:

LESS equipment shall be used for the application of slurry on holdings with a previous years grassland stocking rate of 100kg N/Ha or above from grazing livestock manure prior to export of livestock manure from the holding;
LESS equipment shall be used for the application of slurry produced by pigs on any holding;
LESS equipment shall be used for the application of slurry to arable land unless the slurry shall be incorporated into the soil within 24 hours.

While the above are the conditions for the use of LESS in general circumstances, an additional point in relation to health and safety is also included in the regulations.

According to the DAFM spokesperson, this additional point is as follows: "Where for operator health and safety reasons it would be inappropriate to comply with the requirement to use LESS due to land within a grassland parcel sloping steeply, it is permitted to spread cattle slurry close to the ground using a downward-facing splashplate.

The DAFM confirmation on splash-plate use comes following concerns from many farmers who farm steep ground with many hills.

These farmers had voiced concerns on several occasions in relation to the health and safety aspect of the additional weight of a LESS implement on a tank and the dangers this poses on hilly ground.

The DAFM confirmation permits these farmers to spread cattle slurry on ground which has an average incline of 20% or more in the case of grassland or 15% or more in the case of other land.