21/02/2011

The NFU revealed on Friday (18^th Feb) that almost half of farmers surveyed will not have enough slurry storage to comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations coming into force in less than a year’s time and 46 per cent of dairy farmers have a nitrogen farm loading above the 170 kg per hectare limit stipulated in the code of practice.

The survey, which looked at measures adopted by dairy farmers to comply with changes to the NVZ Action Programme, also revealed a fifth of farmers will not invest to meet with the regulation with more than a third planning to invest less than £25,000.

NFU dairy adviser Siân Davies blamed low prices paid to dairy farmers for the lack of preparation in the face of new regulations, some of which will come into force in January 2012, revealed by the survey. She explained that these new regulations are yet another mountain to climb for struggling dairy farmers, saying, “The survey has confirmed our worst fears and shown the very low levels of investment within the dairy sector. With farmers on average being paid a milk price 3ppl less than it costs to produce it, there’s no wonder that these investment levels are so low. Complying with the new NVZ rules could be a step too far for some farmers.”

Davies went on to express concern over “the number of dairy farmers that still don’t know their NVZ status or how compliance with the regulations will impact their farm practices. It seems that many may be playing a game of wait and see. But with some of the new regulations already in place and others, such as sufficient slurry storage, coming into force from January 1 2012, farmers don’t have long to comply and some may well question their future in the industry.”

The NFU maintain that farmers need more support and guidance on complying with the regulations as well as increased fiscal incentives, they have cited examples including low-interest loans, tax reliefs and increased promotion. The Union also believes a complete review of RDPE funding could see it helping farmers achieve NVZ compliance.

Around 60% of nitrates and 25% of phosphates in English waters originate from agricultural land. Elevated levels of these nutrients are of concern because they can cause eutrophication, which harms the water environment. Also, excess nitrate has to be removed before water can be supplied to consumers, which is a costly process.

Roughly 55% of England is now designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, after the original 66 zones which covered 600,000 hectares (8% of the country) were deemed ineffectual by the European Court of Justice; the NVZs were initially identified for the protection of drinking water sources only, rather than for all surface and ground waters. 

Maps of English NVZs are available from Defra here

Maps of Welsh Nitrate Vulnerable zones, which cover 4% of Wales, will become available on the Welsh Assembly Government Website here

More information on the key requirements of NVZ rules is available from Defra here