Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is appealing to farmers and contractors to protect rivers and lakes from agricultural pollution during silage cutting season.

The State environmental agency has produced a six-point plan for optimum silage cutting and slurry spreading to reduce the risk of contaminating Ireland’s rivers, lakes, streams and seas.

IFI said that livestock manure and other organic fertilisers, silage effluent, and soiled water are highly damaging substances which can kill fish and severely impact their habitats.

Barry Fox, head of operations at Inland Fisheries Ireland asked farmers and contractors to "take all possible precautionary measures to stop harmful materials seeping into the water over summer months".

"Poor farmyard management and poor slurry spreading practices following a silage cut can harm local fish populations and ruin their habitats.

"Agricultural communities continue to play a pivotal role in the responsible stewardship of our environment," he said.

The IFI’s six-point SILAGE plan recommends the following:

S: Spread slurry during dry weather only, and never when a period of heavy rain is forecast;
I: Investigate if silage pits are properly sealed to prevent the entry of water, and/or if there is leakage from the slabs;
L: Lead slurry away from a watercourse when working the land. Be aware of the slope of the field, and respect the buffer zones near a river, lake, stream or shoreline;
A: Avoid allowing effluent or any other discharge reaching the clean water drainage on a yard;
G: Generate good yard cleaning practices - to stop effluent and soiled washings from inadvertently flowing to a watercourse;
E: Engage with statutory requirements by ensuring that adequate storage capacity for slurry, soiled water, and silage effluent, meets the regulations.

Farmers and contractors are also asked to contact their local IFI office before carrying out works in or near any watercourses.

The agency has urged the public to report any instances of distressed fish, fish kills, or pollution to IFI’s confidential 24/7 number on 0818 34 74 24.

IFI said that it continues to secure successful convictions for agricultural pollution of waters, and other breaches of legislation.

In 2024, IFI officers carried out 2,736 investigations in agricultural and rural settings to identify environmental risks or active pollution incidents.

The agency has statutory responsibility for Ireland’s 74,000km of rivers and streams, together with 128,000 lake hectares. It also has a coastline patrol jurisdiction of 12 nautical miles.

The local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and LAWPRO’s Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) are also appealing to farmers during the current silage and land spreading season to protect watercourses from agricultural pollution.

LAWPRO, working on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality in rivers, lakes, estuaries, ground and coastal water, are warning farmers and landowners that silage effluent, manure, fertilisers and soiled water are highly pollutant substances if they enter a watercourse.

Mairead Whitty, LAWPRO’s Farming for Water EIP Project lead said: “We are appealing to all farmers, landowners and contractors to take precautionary measures to ensure no harmful substances reach any watercourse on and around farms."

"During the current hot spell of weather water levels are very low therefore it is it is important to protect any stream, river or lake from potential pollutants.

"We are asking farmers to become guardians over their local watercourses and to take responsibility for their role in protecting them," she added.