With the silage season now in full swing, Limerick City and County Council is appealing to landowners and users to ensure they do everything they can to protect the water quality across the county.
It is essential that every effort is made to ensure that all effluents arising are collected, stored and managed so that water quality is not compromised.
Below are some tips which will help ensure that this is achieved:
- Ensure the silage base and associated collecting channels are free from defect. Where defective these must be rendered fit-for-purpose prior to use.
- Where repairs are required seek professional advice. Consult relevant Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine building specifications. Use only proprietary sealants to seal joints on the base/ channels.
- Wilt the grass prior to ensiling - this helps ensure that dry matter content is at a level where release of effluent is minimised (at least 30% dm should be attained). Excessively wet grass can result in “slumping” in the pit. This can cause channels to block and effluent to overflow to watercourses or to enter groundwater.
- Where possible, cut-grass should be taken to the silage pit in the afternoon (this allows time for dew to evaporate).
- Ensure that harvested grass is kept behind the drainage channels on the base and ensure that the drainage channels are kept free from blockage.
- Ensure that the polythene cover extends beyond the channels.
- Do not overfill pits – this is dangerous from a health and safety point of view and can also result in collapse of the pit. Where the design volume of the pit is inadequate for amount of silage to be harvested, fill pit to design limit and bale the remainder of the cut grass.
- Check regularly to ensure that all effluents are being collected. Ensure that the effluent collection tank is fit-for-purpose and that it is never allowed to overflow.
- In the event that silage effluent is observed leaking from the pit you must ensure that measures are taken to prevent entry to waters. Field drains must be dammed and effluent prevented from flowing to waters (i.e. break the pathway to waters).
- Regularly inspect field drains down-gradient of the farmyard (at least daily) to ensure that there are no signs of contamination. Directly ensiled grass can release up to 30 litres of effluent per tonne for the first few days after ensiling so constant vigilance is required.
- Do not use farmyard manure or any organic material to cover the silage pit (use tyres / sandbags, etc.). Only clean water is permitted to flow off the silage cover – this to be directed to a clean water drain.
- Silage effluent can be fed to livestock. Where it is to be landspread it should be diluted at least 1:1 with slurry. Ensure that adequate buffer zones are maintained to ensure waters are protected.
Always consult with your contractor to ensure that best practice will be followed.
- When the pit is opened (animal housing period) the concrete apron at the front of the pit must be kept clean on a continuous basis. Failure to do so will result in polluting matter flowing to watercourses / drains. This is not permitted.
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