People in rural Ireland, particularly the farming community, are very concerned about the date for the end of slurry spreading by farmers and contractors. It is impossible to do it within the time allowed. We have had a reasonably good summer in my part of the country, but in the west and in other areas it has not been good. There has been an enormous amount of rainfall in recent weeks.

It is impossible to spread within the time allowed. To do so would be wasteful, damaging and threatening to the environment. Farmers will not do it now anyway. It would be of no benefit as it would run off. I tabled a parliamentary question on this issue and was told that the date will not be extended. The closing date is ridiculous. It should never have been agreed by the then Minister, former Deputy Dick Roche, and the IFA many years ago. It is not workable. Surely, it should be based on the climatic conditions. That is what farmers and contractors want. I ask the Minister, please, to extend the date.

According to Met Éireann, as a result of the amount of rainfall since August the ground is saturated. Farmers do not want to spread slurry at the moment, because when the ground is saturated, there is a risk of it running into rivers. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine this morning stated there will be no extension. The Minister should be clear that there is slurry in sheds at the moment. Farmers will not leave cattle in them. They will not spread in the wrong conditions. It would be prudent of the Department to give an extension in the coming weeks because if it does not, farmers will spread when conditions are right whether the Department likes it or not. We need to work with farmers.

I ask Deputies to keep their contributions brief because the point is understood.

It is a fact that it has been raining in County Kerry for at least seven weeks. Cattle have been housed for several weeks. Farmers in the North of Ireland, the other side of the ditch, may spread slurry when the weather is right. The land is drenched at the moment. Farmers want to be allowed to spread slurry legally such that they do not lose their single farm payments.

All Deputies will agree that the earlier in the year slurry is spread, the more value there is in terms of its nitrogen value and for farmers. As has been pointed out, according to Met Éireann, August was one of the wettest months for six or seven years. Farmers who planned to spread slurry then were unable to do so due to the wet conditions. Although it makes sense to spread earlier in the year, one must also take ground conditions into account. In particular, the Minister must do so and offer flexibility to farmers over the coming weeks to ensure the slurry is spread in better conditions than are currently being experienced.

Calendar farming does not work. Under the greening rules, tillage farmers with more than 10 acres of tillage must grow two crops, while farmers with 30 acres or more must grow three tillage crops. To meet these requirements, most tillage farmers need to grow a winter crop. However, due to the wet weather since early August, it has been almost impossible for farmers to sow winter cereal crops. It will shortly be too late to sow these crops, which will make it difficult for farmers to meet the greening rules. The closing date for spreading slurry has passed, but due to ground conditions caused by wet weather, some slurry remains to be spread. Will the Government consider setting aside the two-crop and three-crop rules for 2019-20 due to the weather conditions and will it allow farmers to spread slurry until the end of October?

A similar situation to that described by the Deputies pertains in the north west, including in Sligo, Leitrim, north Roscommon and south Donegal. Farmers cannot even walk on the land due to the amount of rain over the past two months in particular. There will be an animal welfare issue if the Minister does not extend the date and give farmers an opportunity to get slurry out of sheds.

This issue tends to arise annually. The date was previously extended when there were exceptional conditions. It remains the case that if a slurry tank is filled, the farmer may seek leave to empty it, and it will be decided on case by case. However, the Deputies indicated that farmers would not spread slurry today or tomorrow because the ground is saturated.

The farmers want to spread it when the weather is dry.

Is there a helpline?

There is and always has been a helpline. Applications may be made on a case-by-case basis. The situation is kept under constant review.

With regard to Deputy Collins's point on the two-crop and three-crop rules, they are part of the Common Agricultural Policy greening rules. I am unsure whether derogations can be obtained, but those affected should give that consideration.