29 December 2008

By Alan Galbraith, Countryside Management Branch

The Nitrates and Phosphorus Regulations came into effect on 1 January 2007.  For pig and poultry farms the required storage capacity equates to 26 weeks. For all other farms 22 weeks storage is required.  The Regulations allow farmers until 31 December 2008 at the latest to have the required storage capacity in place.

From the 1 January 2009 all farmers must comply with the closed spreading period for organic manures.  This period prohibits organic manures, except for farmyard manure and dirty water, being spread from 15 October to 31 January.  Therefore, there should be no slurry spreading during January 2009.  

In addition, outside of the closed period, farmers must ensure that any fertiliser, organic or chemical, is only applied when soil and weather conditions are favourable.  This prevents spreading during times when soil is waterlogged, flooded or likely to flood, frozen, snow covered, if heavy rain is forecasted or on steeply sloping land where a significant risk of water pollution exists.

Planning is the key to effective organic manure management.  Plan to apply as much of the manures available during the spring and summer periods when grass and crops can utilise the nutrients most efficiently and reduce your fertiliser costs.  This will reduce the possible scenario of having to empty tanks in autumn simply to ensure compliance with the Nitrates Regulations.  

To help farmers gain knowledge and understanding of the Nitrates Regulations CAFRE is planning workshops on this topic.  The workshop will cover closed periods for slurry spreading, controls on chemical fertiliser use, the stocking rate limit and record keeping.

To book a place on a workshop please call Greenmount Campus at 028 9442 6879.

Notes to Editors

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