Flexibility on Geese & Swan Parcels Should be Considered – IFA

IFA Rural Development Chair John Curran has called on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to allow permitted grazing on Geese & Swan parcels to mid-October at least, and to keep it under review.

“No more than the one-week extension to the slurry spreading period announced last week, to reduce the closed period on these Geese and Swan parcels would be a practical decision. It would provide additional flexibility for some farmers following the exceptional weather conditions experienced this year,” John Curran said.

“An extension, were it permitted to mid-October at least, would recognise the very challenging conditions farmers have faced, and the subsequent surge in grass growth as rainfall returned. This will help stretch and extend available fodder reserves,” John Curran said.