FARMERS HAVE been warned that their slurry tanks could float away because of the continuing bad weather which has caused water tables to rise.
Tom Ryan, Teagasc's farm building expert, said reinforced concrete tanks could float or burst on the middle if the water level on the outside rose above the level of liquid on the inside.
"There have been reports of this happening and farmers should be aware of what can happen if tanks are not properly fitted."
He said long, narrow reinforced slurry tanks were most likely to float if water levels outside exceeded those inside. As well as being costly to repair, unstable or broken tanks could cause environmental damage.
"The least likely tank to float would be large rectangular tanks because they would burst in the middle at the bottom because of the weight distribution," Mr Ryan added.
He warned farmers, who last year spent €1.4 billion on slurry storage facilities, that unless the slurry tanks were properly drained around the outside, problems could arise.
Mr Ryan said the main problem that was likely to occur was when the tanks floated upwards and then settled down again cracking the concrete.
"The height of water that will cause floating or bursting depends on the type and dimensions of the tank. Tanks that float are bound to crack extensively when they settle again after the water is pumped out.
"Slatted tanks are more likely to float than burst up in the middle, whereas, large rectangular uncovered tanks are more likely to burst up in the middle and are more vulnerable than slatted tanks."
He advised farmers who faced this problem to fill the tanks with water to a level above that on the outside and that would prevent floating.
Alternatively, water should be pumped through the holes for shuttering, until such time that it could be drained.
Mr Ryan also warned farmers to always be vigilant around their slurry tanks, but especially if there were difficulties with them.
"Farmers should be very careful working around slurry tanks at all times," he said.
Farmers are expected to spend a further €1 billion on slurry tanks over this year to meet the new EU environmental requirements.