Article 6 Application of manure and other fertilisers
United Kingdom
Subject to the conditions laid down in paragraphs 2 to 11, the amount of grazing livestock manure, treated manure and effluent with low nitrogen and phosphate content applied to derogated parcels each year, including the manure applied by the animals themselves shall not exceed 250 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year on parcels cultivated with the following:
grassland and maize undersown with grassland;
cut grassland followed by maize;
cut rye followed by maize,
and 200 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year on parcels cultivated with:
winter wheat followed by a catch crop;
triticale followed by a catch crop;
sugar or fodder beets.
Treated manure, not qualifying as effluent with low nitrogen and phosphate content, can only be applied to derogated parcels if it has a nitrogen to phosphate ratio (N/P2O5) of minimum 3,3.
The application of effluent with low nitrogen and phosphate content shall be limited to maximal 15 ton per hectare.
The total nitrogen and phosphate input shall comply with the nutrient demand of the considered crop and take into account the supply from the soil and the increased manure nitrogen availability due to treatment. It shall not exceed for all crops, in any case, the maximum application standards for phosphate and nitrogen, either expressed in total nitrogen or efficient nitrogen, as established in the action programme.
The use of phosphate from chemical fertiliser is banned on derogated parcels.
A fertilisation plan shall be kept for each farm, for its whole acreage, describing the crop rotation and planned application of manure and nitrogen and phosphate fertilisers. It shall be available in the farm each calendar year by 15 February at the latest.
The fertilisation plan shall include the following:
the number of livestock, a description of the housing and storage system, including the volume of manure storage available;
a calculation of manure nitrogen and phosphorus produced in the farm;
the description of manure treatment and expected characteristics of treated manure;
the amount, type and characteristics of manure delivered outside the farm or in the farm;
the crop rotation and acreage of parcels with crops with high nitrogen demand and long growing season and parcels with other crops;
the foreseeable nitrogen and phosphorus crop requirements for each parcel;
a calculation of nitrogen and phosphorus application from manure over each parcel;
a calculation of nitrogen and phosphorus application from chemical and other fertilisers over each parcel.
Plans shall be revised no later than 7 days following any change in agricultural practices to ensure consistency between plans and actual agricultural practices.
Fertilisation accounts shall be prepared by each farm; they shall include applied amounts and time of application of manure and nitrogen fertilisers.
Results of nitrogen and phosphorus analysis in soil shall be available for each farm benefiting from derogation. Sampling and analysis must be carried out no later than 1 June and at least once every 4 years for phosphorus and for nitrogen for each homogeneous area of the farm, with regard to crop rotation and soil characteristics. At least one analysis per 5 hectares of farmland shall be required.
Nitrate concentration in the soil profile shall be measured every year in autumn and at the latest by 15 November on at least 6 % of all derogated parcels and 1 % of the other parcels in use by farms benefiting from derogation in such a way that at least 85 % of these farms are involved. At least three samples representing three different soil layers within the soil profile shall be required every 2 hectares of farmland.
Manure, treated manure or effluent with low nitrogen and phosphate content with a total nitrogen content higher than 0,60 kg nitrogen per ton, as well as chemical and other fertilisers shall not be spread on derogated parcels between 1 September and 15 February the following year.
At least two thirds of the amount of nitrogen from manure, excluding nitrogen from manure from grazing livestock, shall be applied before 31 May each year.