Keeping the nutrients, keeping the money

Proposed changes to the NVZ regulations have yet to be agreed, and until they are, it is worth remembering that the old rules continue to apply. However, there are still environmental and financial benefits to applying nutrients later in the spring anyway.

The existing rules mean that livestock slurries and poultry manures (with the exception of some duck manures) have closed periods for application to sandy or shallow soils.

The "no spreading" periods for fields not in grass or to be sown with an autumn sown crop are from 1st August until the 1st November. For fields in grass or to be sown with an autumn sown crop they apply from 1 September to 1 November.

It is likely that these closed periods will be extended and will apply to all soil types. However, with the increases in fertiliser prices in the past year, there are potentially large financial benefits from applying these high nitrogen content manures in the spring rather than the winter.

Standard figures indicate that in a cubic metre of cattle slurry, for example at 6% dry matter, there is 3.0 kg of nitrogen, 1.2 kg of phosphate and 3.5 kg of

potash. While this may not seem a lot, in a normal 50 cubic metres per hectare application that is 150 kg/ha of nitrogen, 60 kg/ha of phosphate and 175 kg/ha of potash. If all that were available to the crop then the value of the cattle slurry per hectare would be £261. Unfortunately, much can be lost to the environment through leaching and run-off.

You can make better use of this slurry by applying in the spring when the availability of nitrogen for crop growth increases to around 35% or better on all soil types.

Availability of nitrogen can be further increased in spring by incorporating slurry into the soil within 6 hours on arable land (45%) or by soil injection (50%). This represents a fertiliser value of £200/ha. This compares to a much poorer 5% to 20% availability for autumn applications and a potential net loss of £110/ha depending on soil type and method of application.

Care of SSSIs

The very structure of the English landscape has been influenced, managed and in some places, created by man. In many cases grazing land over the generations has helped produce the vegetation structure and composition that are essential for valuable plant and animal life. This is particularly true for SSSIs, which are examples of some of the country's very best wildlife and geological sites.

Across the country, some of our most spectacular and beautiful habitats are to be found in more than 4,000 SSSIs, covering 7% of the country's land area. Yet the condition of many SSSIs is under threat, often damaged through inappropriate grazing and feeding. While insufficient grazing may result in an increase in scrub and less valuable species, heavy grazing can lead to the loss of vegetation. Poaching and compaction may also occur in areas of higher grazing intensities, reducing the ability of the land to absorb heavy rain. This can lead to erosion and local flooding, with a detrimental impact on water quality.

Part of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition is the requirement to avoid overgrazing and unsuitable supplementary feeding on such environmentally valuable land.

If you graze, farm or manage a SSSI area in any way, please be aware of the cross compliance regulations covering the land. This is particularly true if you think you may be affected by over or undergrazing, moor and heather burning or drainage issues. These areas may well be the starting point of an inspection.

Natural England will advise and help the owners of SSSIs ensure that these sites are managed in the best possible way. It may be possible to give financial help to carry out the necessary management. For specific technical questions contact the cross compliance helpline on 0845 345 1302 or for local advice contact your local Natural England office (details from the home page of www.naturalengland.org.uk)

Spraying Safe

Simon Draper, technical adviser to Momenta, the organisation responsible for delivering cross compliance advice on behalf of Defra, explains what to look out for when it comes to spraying and SMR9, the use of plant protection products.

"The product label provides instructions on the safe use of the product. Instructions in the statutory area, now called Important Information, must be complied with. For example, you cannot use a product on a crop which does not appear on the label or exceed a maximum individual dose."

"It's really quite simple," continues Simon, "and your spray records should show how you've complied with the rules as they will state, as a minimum, the product/s, quantities of chemical/s and water, field/s and whether any LERAPs apply. Remember that an inspector will want to double check what's on the label and compare it with how you've used it."

"The 'Directions for Use' contain all other recommendations required to use the product safely. However, you can deviate from the recommendations depending on individual circumstances. If you do use sprays in a different way the Code of Practice entails carrying out an appropriate risk assessment, which must show the different way is just as safe. Speak to your agronomist about this as specialist advice is vital."

You should also note that, by law, there are certain situations where you will need to have a qualification called a 'certificate of competence'. In general, you will need a certificate of competence if you supply, store or use

agricultural pesticides. These are pesticides used in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, in or near water and as industrial herbicides.

The circumstances in which you need a certificate of competence are explained and set out in the Green Code, available at www.pesticides.gov.uk

For general information about spraying, SMR9 or cross compliance please visit www.crosscompliance.org.uk or contact the cross compliance helpline on 0845 345 1302.

Managing and Cutting Hedgerows

Please remember that hedgerows should not be cut from 1st March to 31st July as it is the main breeding season for birds. All wild birds, their young, their eggs and active nests are protected by law.

If you are laying or coppicing hedges you will know that it is often difficult to complete the work by this period, so you can carry on until the end of April. However, do check for nesting birds before going ahead.