January 16, 2026 - 354 views
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is reminding farmers across North Wales of the rules still in place to protect land and water as the organic manure spreading season reopens.
Over the autumn and winter months, restrictions prevented the spreading of slurry and other high-nitrogen manures in an effort to reduce agricultural pollution. From 16 January, spreading can resume on grassland, with tillage land opening on 31 January.
However, NRW says a number of important restrictions under the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations (CoAPR) will remain in force until the end of February.
These include limits on the amount of manure that can be applied at any one time — no more than 30 cubic metres of slurry per hectare or eight tonnes of poultry manure, with a minimum gap of three weeks between applications.
Farmers are also required to carry out field inspections before spreading, taking into account weather and soil conditions, slope, ground cover and proximity to watercourses to reduce the risk of runoff.
All applications must be planned and recorded within a Nitrogen Management Plan, ensuring spreading meets crop and soil requirements and stays within permitted nitrogen limits.
Spreading remains strictly prohibited on waterlogged, flooded, snow-covered or frozen ground, including soil that has been frozen for more than 12 hours in the previous 24 hours.
NRW officers will continue to support farm businesses while also monitoring compliance across Wales.
Simon Griffiths, Team Leader of NRW’s Agricultural Pollution Inspection Team, said the reminder was timely as the closed period comes to an end.
“As the closed periods come to an end, we want to remind farmers, tenants, landlords and contractors of the restrictions which remain in place until the end of February.
This means anyone considering spreading organic manure needs to ensure the conditions are suitable before work starts.
NRW is committed to protecting the environment and any instances of pollution will be investigated and appropriate enforcement action taken.”
NRW is urging farmers and members of the public to report any pollution incidents immediately via its 24-hour incident communications centre, either online or by calling 0300 065 3000.
