Slurry store upgrade plans shelved by DEFRA

Plans that would have forced thousands of farmers to replace aging slurry stores at a cost of tens of millions of pounds, have been shelved by DEFRA.
Under the proposals, all silage clamps and slurry and fuel stores built before 1991 would have had to comply with the The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations 1991 (SSAFO).
DEFRA figures show that this legislation would have affected more than 20% of existing stores and clamps, most of which would have needed rebuilding before a 2015 deadline.
But a DEFRA report released on the 21 November has outlined a revised plan to carry out storage inspections and assessments instead.
NFU water quality adviser Nicola Dunn said: “The switch follows a survey which found that many stores built before 1991 were still in very good condition while in some cases more recent facilities had more pollution risks.
“The task now is how to set up a way to assess the suitability and condition of stores in a kind of annual ‘MoT’ check up.”
Dr Dunn added: “We now need to continue to work with government to ensure the concept of condition reviews for stores does not create unnecessary red tape.
“This is also true of the recommendation to review SSAFO regulations, which will be subject to further consultation next year.”
But the report outlined DEFRA’s rejection of calls for a more flexible approach to spreading slurry.
“This is disappointing. It had been hoped that the department would recognise the difficulties in complying with closed periods for spreading slurry,” said Dr Dunn.
“We now need to continue to work with government to ensure the concept of condition reviews for stores does not create unnecessary red tape.”
Nicola Dunn, NFU water quality adviser
“During 2012’s high rainfall farmers were prevented from getting on to land to spread slurry and some faced a dilemma with storage facilities in danger of overflowing,” she said.
“We hoped DEFRA would be able adopt a more flexible approach and allow farmers to spread slurry inside closed periods in difficult years without incurring cross-compliance penalties,” Dr Dunn said.
“We are disappointed that a recommendation could not be made to change the situation immediately but we pushed to ensure that it is kept under review should evidence show that flexible closed periods could work in practice rather than farming by calendar,” she said.
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