All policies / Agriculture / IRL_P0068
Low emission slurry spreading
Instrument affecting the Agriculture sector, using a practice regulation mechanism; in force since 2020.
About this policy
Low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) is an agricultural practice aimed at reducing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions during the application of slurry. For bovines, a target of 60% of all slurry spread by low emissions slurry spreading by 2022 is assumed. It is also assumed that this target increases to 80% by 2025 and 90% by 2027. For pigs, it is assumed there is 100% use of low emission slurry spreading as per the Nitrates Action Plan.
About this type of instrument: regulation of practices and activities
Some emissions come from many scattered farm or waste processes, or from long-lived investments. Here, setting rules on practices can be easier to monitor and enforce than pricing each tonne.
- Directly targets the emitting process
- Relatively easy to verify compliance
- Addresses non-CO₂ gases that are hard to price
- Limited flexibility in how abatement is achieved
- Enforcement over many small actors is resource-intensive
- Supply-side restrictions may shift rather than reduce emissions
Measurement in this dataset. Agriculture and waste practices have no direct OECD stringency indicator, so implementation uses assumed timing. Licensing restrictions use the OECD fossil-fuel extraction ban indicator. Bindingness is scored 1.0 (mandatory rule).
Year by year
Filled markers use a matched OECD score; hollow markers use assumed timing. Shaded bands show the policy's status. Select a year on the chart or the slider to see how its intensity is built up.
Source records in the EEA registry
All EEA records linked to this policy. Records under the "with additional measures" scenario describe planned extensions; they are retained for traceability but are not treated as historical policy.
| PaM | Name as reported | Status | Scenario | Period | Ex-post kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | Low emission slurry spreading (With Existing Measures) | Implemented | With existing measures | 2020 | – |
| 84 | Low emission slurry spreading (With Additional Measures) | Planned | With additional measures | 2025 | – |
Data-quality notes
Methodological notes recorded for this series, grouped by theme.
Timing assumptions
- Implementation in some years follows an assumed ramp-up because no matching OECD score is available.
- The policy has no reported end date; its status after the reporting date is reconstructed as continuing.
Scoring conventions
- The unweighted equal-weight index remains positive before the policy starts; use the gated version for timing analysis.
- Bindingness is a normative score from the study rubric, not a measure of observed compliance.
- Coverage is an ordinal scope score, not a measured share of activity or emissions.
Selection context
- Policies were selected using recent (2024–2030) assessments, which can introduce retrospective selection bias.
Sources
- European Environment Agency. Reporting on national policies and measures, Ireland (report 1849), PaM 68. https://pam.apps.eea.europa.eu/