Farmers reminded to comply with slurry regulations
Environmental update 15/09/2011
Farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) have been urged not
to spread slurry on their fields this winter.
The Environment Agency (EA) has reminded farmers that the
‘closed period’ for slurry spreading begins on 15 October 2011 and
ends on 15 January 2012 for grassland.
Farmers with arable ground should take note of the closed period
which runs from 1 October 2011 to 15 January 2012.
Those with sandy or shallow soil on grassland should refrain
from spreading slurry from 1 September and 31 December, and those
with sandy arable land from 1 October and 15 January.
NVZs limit the amount of slurry that can be spread by farmers
close to watercourses or on frozen or wet land. As a result,
farmers in such zones across the country must ensure that they have
enough slurry storage to see them through the winter months.
By 1 January 2012, all such farms will need five months slurry
storage for cattle and six months storage for poultry and pigs. The
EA has also warned that all new storage must comply with the 2010
Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) 2010
Regulations.
The EA’s Principal Agricultural Officer, Phil Shere, said,
“Around 60 per cent of nitrates that are found in rivers come from
agriculture. As the South West has over a third of England's dairy
herd, slurry is a significant contributor to nitrate levels.
"Slurry is an invaluable nutrient, but if you spread too much or
at the wrong time, it can leach out or be washed off into rivers,
lakes and groundwater. High levels of nitrates harm aquatic plants
and animals from the smallest stream right down to our bathing
waters. Farmers should contact the Environment Agency now if
they're planning new storage,” added Mr Shere.
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