18 October

Valuable information for farmers affected by new Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations that come into force across large areas of England and parts of north Wales and eastern Scotland on 1 January 2012 is now available online.

The dedicated pages on the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation’s (AMC) website offer some practical solutions and useful planning tools for those farmers considering ways to ensure their farm is fully compliant – especially with slurry storage and management systems.

“Implementation of the new NVZ regulations is less than 450 days away and the reality is that a large number of farms – particularly livestock units in England – will be affected. In some cases compliance will require significant capital investment that will take a considerable amount of time to plan and commission,” says Keith Thomas, AMC Regional Manager for Cheshire and North Midlands.

“Failure to comply could jeopardise single farm payments or even result in fines, so there is a pressing need for farmers to fully understand the impact of the regulations on their farm and to be well advanced in their plans.”

The AMC’s online guide provides a range of useful information including simplified project plans, planning and calculation tools, and guidance on the most appropriate means of finance for NVZ related projects.

The online guide also contains a useful link to a directory of suppliers of NVZ-related products and services.

A farmer case study highlighting the benefits that improved slurry storage and management can bring through better utilisation of slurry is also a feature of the online guide. On Kevin Jones’ dairy farm the resulting financial savings on purchased fertiliser offset the amount needed to service the loan for his improvements.

The guide can be found at www.amconline.co.uk or those farmers looking for finance for slurry storage improvements can call the AMC team on 01264 334 747.