Nitrate pollution in England

Controls on the timing of applications of nitrogen on farmland are about to be imposed as part of new measures introduced to combat agricultural nitrate pollution in parts of England and Wales.

Closed periods - when certain forms of nitrogen cannot be applied - are set to come into effect on farms in the 68 designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). An Action Programme for NVZs came into force in December 1998 to control the application of nitrogen fertilisers and organic manures on agricultural land. From the same time, farmers in the designated areas were required to start keeping formal records of their use of fertilisers and manures. The Environment Agency, which is the responsible enforcement authority, has now embarked on a programme of visits to farms to assess their compliance with the measures.

The closed periods about to come into effect prohibit:
- The application of slurry, poultry, manure and liquid digested sewage sludge all rich in available nitrogen on shallow or sandy soils in August, September and October, except on grassland or fields with autumn-sown crops, where applications are permitted in August. Compliance with these closed periods may require an increase in slurry storage capacity, for which a 25% Government grant may be available.
- The application of manufactured nitrogen fertilisers between September and the end of January, unless there is a specific, and justifiable, crop requirement. On grassland, this period starts on 15 September, but on arable it starts on 1 September. In both cases the closed period ends on 1 February.

The Agency’s NVZ Manager, Robin Chatterjee, said: "This is an important stage in an action programme which can benefit both the environment and farmers minimising losses of nitrogen from farm land should both protect the quality of surface and ground waters, and allow farmers to reduce expenditure, by optimising inputs. The pre-arranged visits by Agency staff allow them to discuss any issues arising with farmers as well as inspect farmland within the NVZ and view relevant records. The programmes measures including the forthcoming closed periods are based on good agricultural practice and focus on reducing nitrate pollution in situations where it is being applied at excessive rates or inappropriate times."

The records which farmers in these zones have been required to maintain and make available since 19 December 1998 should include details of:
- The areas of fields and their cropping cycles (including drilling and harvest dates)
- Livestock types and stocking cycles
- The dates, quantities and types of all nitrogen fertiliser and organic manure applications
- Dates and quantities of livestock manure moved off the farm, and the identity of the recipient.

Any queries arising from the NVZ Action Programme measures should be made to Environment Agency regional offices on telephone number 0645 333 111. MAFF Regional Service Centres or Welsh Office Agricultural Department Divisional Offices are the points of contact for any farmer wishing to:
- Confirm whether or not they are farming land within a NVZ;
- Obtain a copy of the free explanatory booklet Guidelines for Farmers in NVZs;
- Obtain details of the free ADAS advisory visits available to farmers in NVZs; or
- Obtain details of the grants available for farm waste facilities.

68 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, covering about 600,000 hectares and believed to affect over 8,000 farms, were designated in England and Wales in 1996 under SI 1996/888, which transposes requirements of the EC Nitrate Directive 91/676/EC. This Directive is an environmental measure designed to protect waters against pollution caused by nitrate from agriculture, by reducing nitrate losses in the catchments of polluted waters. The recent measures are contained within the Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (England and Wales) Regulation 1998, SI 1998/1202. The measures are being enforced by the Environment Agency. Outside NVZs, the MAFF/WOAD Code of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Water applies on a voluntary basis.

The Action Programme controls the application of manufactured nitrogen-containing fertilisers and organic manures, including sewage sludge and other organic industrial wastes that may be imported onto the farm. Any farmer with land in a NVZ can request a visit from an ADAS advisor, to explain the rules in the context of his/her individual farm business, and to discuss what steps might be necessary to comply with them. The visits are funded by MAFF and are free of charge.