We have had several complaints about the tractors that are travelling through Tysoe throughout the night.

The Parish Clerk has spoken to the farmer concerned to understand more. He explained what is happening:

Two drivers, with a tractor and tanker are working 24 hours a day to move pig slurry from the pig farm on the A422 to Epwell. The direct and cheapest route for their journey is through Tysoe.  The slurry must be moved to sandy farmland in Epwell because it cannot be spread in and around Oxhill and Tysoe because of the predominantly clay soil. Spreading slurry onto wet clay soil would likely cause run off into the water table which is illegal.

To keep pace with the production of new slurry and clear the backlog from the year before, we can expect one tractor to be moving through the village twice an hour, 24 hours per day during January – March. This season will be extended if there is heavy rain or snow. The tanker collects the slurry from the pig farm and then returns through Tysoe with a full load.
When entering the village, to be considerate of residents, the tractor speed is restricted to 15 miles/hour and flashing lights are turned off.

When asked if there was an alternate route for the tractor to take, the farmer explained that going via Sunrising Hill adds a further 10miles to each trip and increases the time it takes the tractor to complete a pickup and drop off. The tanker takes 12 journeys (and 12 hours) to remove the slurry created by the pigs in one day. The rest of the trips take away the stored slurry that has built up in the previous year. Any change to the route would extend the time it would take to move the slurry and reduce the farmer’s margins.

The farmer in question has been performing this same job annually for over 10 years. He appreciates and understands the feedback from the village and is happy to engage with residents via the Parish Council.