Irish farmer,who will generate 600 million litres of silage effluent over the silage making season, were warned yesterday that the effluent is a "vicious pollutant".
The warning came from Mr Seán Regan, the chief environmental adviser with Teagasc, who made a plea to farmers to take special care in storing silage effluent.
Speaking as the silage-making season gets under way, Mr Regan pointed out that up to 20 million tonnes of silage would be made on farms over the coming months and each 100 tonnes of it would generate up to 3,000 litres of effluent, making a total of 600 million litres.
"Silage effluent is a vicious pollutant. The effluent from just 100 tonnes has the same polluting potential as the daily sewage output from a town of 25,000 people. This highlights the need for careful management," he said.
Mr Regan said that major strides had been made in recent years in reducing fish kills. Last year, a total of 26 fish kills had been recorded, the lowest figure for two decades. He urged farmers to make sure that all effluent-collection facilities were working effectively. He also advised them to regularly inspect drains and watercourses once silage-making had begun.