Can you meet the Livestock Nitrogen Limit

The Nitrates Action Programme becomes operational from 1 January 2007. One of the key measures within the Action Programme is to limit the amount of livestock manures that can be applied. This limit is specified by the Nitrates Directive and restricts farms to 170kg nitrogen from livestock manure per hectare per year.  It includes the manure deposited by the animals themselves at grazing and also the manure applied. What does this mean in practical terms and how can this figure be calculated to ensure that you are meeting this limit for the coming year?

Step 1 – Estimate the average stock numbers, for the year 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007, for the appropriate stock type that will be found on your farm.

Step 2 – Use the appropriate standard figure for the amount of nitrogen excreted by the various age and type of stock.

Step 3 – Multiply the amount of nitrogen excreted per animal by the average number of stock. The totals for each stock type are then added together to give an overall total N. If importing or exporting livestock manure the N content of the manure must be added or substracted accordingly. This amount of N is then divided  by the farmed area to give the nitrogen per ha, per year. An example below shows the total nitrogen produced from a 66ha farm with 100 dairy cows and followers.

Example

Livestock Nitrogen per ha is 11080 KG / 66 ha = 168 KG N / ha / year

Limiting the application of livestock manure nitrogen effectively introduces a maximum farm stocking rate. In Northern Ireland it is estimated that approximately 90 percent of farms are currently farming below the 170 KG limit and will therefore not be restricted by the limit. However various enterprises are affected differently. Almost all pig and poultry units and approximately 55 percent of dairy farms are currently operating above the limit. Almost all beef and sheep farms are significantly below the proposed limit. Poultry, pig, and dairy farms show higher levels of livestock nitrogen per hectare due to the high nitrogen content of the manures produced and the more intensive nature of these enterprises.  This results in a higher land requirement for these enterprises to meet the 170 KG N per hectare limit compared to less intensive enterprises..

A derogation for a limit of 250 KG livestock manure nitrogen per hectare per year is being progressed for grassland cattle farms and is subject to EU approval.  Farms operating under any future derogation will need to adopt nutrient management measures that are additional to those in the Action Programme.

Full guidance on the Nitrates Regulations will be posted out to farmers in early 2007 which will contain in detail how the nitrogen livestock limit is calculated for all stock types. Alternatively farmers can access the online Organic Manure Nitrogen Loading Calculator.