{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/nitrate-sensitive-areas-designation-order-1990/schedule-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/nitrate-sensitive-areas-designation-order-1990/schedule-1.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1990/1013",
  "legislation_title": "The Nitrate Sensitive Areas (Designation) Order 1990",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/nitrate-sensitive-areas-designation-order-1990",
  "path": "schedule/1",
  "kind": "schedule",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "OBLIGATIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN A BASIC SCHEME AGREEMENT",
  "text": "As regards any land which is the subject of a basic scheme agreement:\n1 The farmer shall not apply more than 120 kilograms per hectare of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser to a crop in a single application.\n2 (a) In the case of the following crops the farmer shall not apply to any crop more inorganic nitrogen fertiliser than is specified:–\n(i) wheat and barley sown between 31st July in one year and 1st January in the following year: 25 kilograms per hectare of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser below the economic optimum;\n(ii) oilseed rape sown between 31st July in one year and 1st January in the following year: 50 kilograms per hectare of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser below the economic optimum; and\n(iii) forage crop sown between 30th June and 1st September in any year: 25 kilograms per hectare of inorganic nitrogen fertiliser below the economic optimum.\n(b) In all other cases the farmer shall not apply to any crop more inorganic nitrogen fertiliser than the economic optimum.\n3 The farmer shall not apply any inorganic nitrogen fertiliser to grassland between 31st August in one year and 1st February in the following year, or to any land which is not grassland, between 15th August in one year and 15th February in the following year.\n4 The farmer shall not in any period of 12 months apply organic nitrogen fertiliser in excess of that which contains 175 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare.\n5 The farmer shall store any slurry or liquid sewage sludge in a way which will avoid the entry of nitrate into controlled waters.\n6 The farmer shall not apply slurry, poultry manure, or liquid sewage sludge to grassland between 31st August and 1st November in any year, or to land which is not grassland, between 30th June and 1st November in any year.\n7 The farmer shall not cultivate any grassland between 30th September in one year and 1st February in the following year. Where slurry, poultry manure or liquid sewage sludge is applied to grassland between 30th June and 1st September in any year he shall not cultivate the grassland nor kill off the grass for a period of 4 weeks following the application.\n8 The farmer shall ensure that where in any year grassland is cultivated or re-seeded, the following crop is sown as soon as soil conditions allow, and in any event not later than 30th September of that year.\n9 Where a crop is harvested before 15th October in any year–\n(a) the farmer shall drill autumn sown cereals by 15th October in that year; or\n(b) if it is not intended to sow the next crop before 1st January in the following year, the farmer shall sow a cover crop as soon after harvesting as soil conditions allow.\n10 Before sowing a cover crop, the farmer shall obtain the approval of the Minister to the cover crop which he intends to sow.\n11 The farmer shall not apply any inorganic nitrogen fertiliser prior to the establishment of a cover crop or to the cover crop once sown.\n12 The farmer shall not remove any cover crop whether by mechanical cultivation, herbicides, burning or by grazing–\n(a) before 1st February in the year after its establishment if the land is in the Boughton NSA, Wildmoor NSA, Wellings NSA or Tom Hill NSA;\n(b) before 1st December in the year in which it was established if the land is in the Sleaford NSA, Branston Booths NSA, Ogbourne St George NSA, Old Chalford NSA, Egford NSA or Kilham NSA–\nunless the next crop is sown within 4 weeks of the removal of the cover crop.\n13 If the farmer uses an irrigation system he shall use a scheduling system which optimises water use and avoids excessive applications of water.\n14 Unless the organic nitrogen fertiliser is produced within the nitrate sensitive area in which the farmer’s land is situated he shall not use in any period of 12 months commencing on 1st August organic nitrogen fertiliser which would increase by more than 25% the total amount of nitrogen in organic nitrogen fertiliser being applied in the 12 month period commencing on 1st August 1989.\n15 The farmer shall not remove hedgerows or woodland unless he plants with hedgerows or woodland at least an equivalent area of land to that on which the hedgerows or woodland were situated.\n16 The farmer shall not convert grassland to arable land unless that grassland is a grass ley in arable rotation.\n17 The farmer shall keep records of the amount of all applications of organic and inorganic nitrogen fertiliser; the dates and times when such fertiliser was applied; and the areas of the land and the crop to which application was made.\n18 The farmer shall, if he is a producer of pigs or poultry which are permanently housed, adhere to the plan referred to in article 4(2).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "replaced",
      "affecting": "uksi/1990/1187",
      "affecting_title": "The Nitrate Sensitive Areas (Designation) (Amendment) Order 1990"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1990/1187",
      "affecting_title": "The Nitrate Sensitive Areas (Designation) (Amendment) Order 1990"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1990/1013/schedule/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T15:20:46.140139+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}