Scotland Insight 2022 PRINT 15.3.22 - Flipbook - Page 14
SLURRY STORAGE AND SPREADING RULE
CHANGES ANNOUNCED BY SCOTTISH
GOVERNMENT
New regulations came into force on 1 January 2022 with some phased in over five years.
Scottish Government has announced amendments to the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011,
which include additional controls on the storage of slurry and digestate and more targeted spreading to maximise the nutrient
benefit and reduce emissions.
Key elements of the regulatory change include:
• Minimum slurry storage requirements introduced for ALL
farms producing slurry - 22 weeks storage for those keeping
cattle and 26 weeks for pigs.
• If storage improvements are needed, the changes will be
phased in with some farms having five years to comply.
• An obligation for farmers to comply with the Risk Assessment
for Manures and Slurries (RAMS) – RAMS maps MUST be
provided to anyone spreading organic manure (contractor
or farm worker).
• Splash plates – high trajectory splash plates or rain guns to
be banned on 1 January 2023.
• From 1 January 2023 slurry spread by contractors must
use precision equipment only; the same applies to farms
with >100 milking cows or >200 beef cattle; and all liquid
digestate.
• From 1 January 2027 all slurry applied by precision
equipment only.
• Silage bales or bulk bags must not be stored, opened, or
unwrapped within 10 metres of any surface water.
• A silo, slurry storage system or liquid digestate storage
system constructed on or after 1 January 2022 must not
be situated within 10m of any surface water or opening
into a surface water drain which silage effluent/slurry/liquid
digestate could enter if it were to escape.
• A silo, slurry storage system or liquid digestate storage
system must meet “fit for purpose” standards if constructed
pre-1991. If constructed on or after 1991,or is substantially
reconstructed or enlarged on or after the coming into force
date, it must meet additional British construction standards..
• New, substantially reconstructed or enlarged silos/
slurry stores/liquid digestate stores from 1 January 2022
must have a life expectancy of at least 20 years, with
proper maintenance. SEPA must also be notified prior to
commencing the works.
• Where liquid digestate is produced or imported onto a
farm, there must be sufficient storage capacity on the farm
during periods when application is not authorised under
activity 18 of the regulations or would not comply with the
requirements of the NVZ regulations.
As detailed, the amendments to the Water Environment
Regulations places a new financial and administrative
burden on to farmers who are out-with current NVZ areas.
The requirement for farms to have a minimum of 22 weeks
slurry storage for cattle (26 weeks pigs) will mean that many
livestock producers will need to invest heavily in slurry storage
facilities. For some, the cost of doing this may not be economic
– but with Nitrogen costs currently up by more than 300%
and phosphate and potash up around 80%, investment in
slurry storage could allow significant savings in fertiliser costs.
Increased storage also allows nutrients to be spread when
ground conditions and crop requirements are optimal – rather
than when winter rainfall dictates!
The regulations also require that all farmers spreading slurry or
digestate have a RAMS map, which identifies no-spread zones
and risk areas e.g. slopes >12°; water courses and bore holes. It
is a requirement that anyone spreading organic manure has a
copy of the RAMS map.
High trajectory splash plates being phased out will result in
many older farm slurry tankers becoming obsolete, with a
greater burden being placed on contractors and larger farmers
to move to precision spreading equipment within the next 12
months.
Currently the only available Scottish Government support for
slurry storage is through the Agri-Environment and Climate
Scheme (AECS). The details for the 2022 round have now been
published. The slurry element of AECS will prioritise bathing
water catchments and exclude those in NVZ’s as per previous
rounds. Cabinet Secretary, Mairi Gougeon, has announced that
the second round of the SCAGS grant will be for precision
slurry spreading equipment and covers for slurry stores. The
deadline for the current AECS round of slurry storage is the
24th June 2022.
If you need assistance in preparing a RAMS map; would like
help calculating slurry storage requirements or would like more
information regarding AECS slurry grants, please contact the
Dumfries or Alnwick offices.