14.—(1) An occupier of a holding who intends to spread nitrogen fertiliser must—
(a)calculate the amount of nitrogen in the soil that is likely to be available for uptake by the crop during the growing season (“the soil nitrogen supply”);
(b)calculate the optimum amount of nitrogen that should be spread on the crop, taking into account the amount of nitrogen available from the soil nitrogen supply; and
(c)produce a plan for the spreading of nitrogen fertiliser for that growing season.
(2) In the case of any crop other than permanent grassland, the occupier must do this before spreading any nitrogen fertiliser for the first time for the purpose of fertilising a crop planted or intended to be planted.
(3) In the case of permanent grassland the occupier must do this each year beginning 1 January before the first spreading of nitrogen fertiliser.
(4) The plan must be in permanent form.
(5) The plan must record—
(a)the reference or name of the relevant field;
(b)the area of the field planted or intended to be planted; and
(c)the type of crop.
(6) For the area planted or intended to be planted the plan must record—
(a)the soil type;
(b)the previous crop (if the previous crop was grass, whether it was managed by cutting or grazing);
(c)the soil nitrogen supply calculated in accordance with paragraph (1) and the method used to establish this figure;
(d)the anticipated month that the crop will be planted;
(e)the anticipated yield (if arable); and
(f)the optimum amount of nitrogen that should be spread on the crop, taking into account the amount of nitrogen available from the soil nitrogen supply.
15.—(1) Before spreading organic manure, the occupier must on each occasion calculate the amount of nitrogen from that manure that is likely to be available for crop uptake in the growing season in which it is spread.
(2) The occupier must, before spreading the organic manure, record—
(a)the area on which the organic manure will be spread;
(b)the quantity of organic manure to be spread;
(c)the planned date for spreading (month);
(d)the type of organic manure;
(e)the total nitrogen content of the organic manure; and
(f)the amount of nitrogen likely to be available from the manure intended to be spread for crop uptake in the growing season in which it is spread.
(3) In the case of manufactured fertiliser the occupier must record—
(a)the amount required (that is, the optimum amount of nitrogen required by the crop less the amount of nitrogen that will be available for crop uptake from any organic manure spread); and
(b)the planned date for spreading (month).
16. Irrespective of the figure in the plan, an occupier must ensure that the total amount of—
(a)nitrogen from manufactured fertiliser, and
(b)nitrogen available for crop uptake from livestock manure in the growing season in which it is spread,
spread on the following crops, calculated in accordance with regulation 17, does not exceed the following limits in any twelve month period (the total amount of nitrogen permitted to be spread on any given crop is the figure in the second column, adjusted in accordance with the notes to the table and multiplied by the total area in hectares of that crop sown on the holding).
| Crop | Permitted amount of nitrogen (kg)(a) | Standard yield(tonne/ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | ||
(a) An additional 80 kg per hectare is permitted to all crops grown in fields if the current or previous crop has had straw or paper sludge applied to it. | ||
(b) An additional 20 kg per hectare is permitted on fields with shallow soil (other than shallow soils over sandstone). | ||
(c) An additional 20 kg per hectare is permitted for every tonne that the expected yield exceeds the standard yield. | ||
(d) An additional 40 kg per hectare is permitted to milling wheat varieties. | ||
(e) This consists of a maximum of 30 kg per hectare in the autumn (allowed as an exemption to the closed period for manufactured nitrogen fertiliser) and a maximum of 220 kg per hectare in the spring. The spring amount may be increased by up to 30 kg per hectare for every half tonne that expected yield exceeds the standard yield. | ||
(f) An additional 40 kg per hectare is permitted to grass that is cut at least three times a year. From 1 January 2012 the permitted amount of nitrogen drops to 300 kg per hectare. | ||
| Autumn or early winter sown wheat | 220(b) (c) (d) | 8.0 |
| Spring-sown wheat | 180(c) (d) | 7.0 |
| Winter barley | 180(b) (c) | 6.5 |
| Spring barley | 150(c) | 5.5 |
| Winter oilseed rape | 250(e) | 3.5 |
| Sugar beet | 120 | n/a |
| Potatoes | 270 | n/a |
| Forage maize | 150 | n/a |
| Field beans | 0 | n/a |
| Peas | 0 | n/a |
| Grass | 330(f) | n/a |
17.—(1) For the purposes of regulation 16, the occupier must first establish the total amount of nitrogen in the manure, either using the table in Schedule 2 or by sampling and analysis in accordance with that Schedule.
(2) Once the total amount of nitrogen in the manure has been established, the following percentages are assumed to establish the amount of nitrogen in the manure that is available for crop uptake in the growing season in which it is spread.
| Type of livestock manure | Amount of nitrogen available for crop uptake in the growing season in which it is spread | |
|---|---|---|
| Until 1 January 2012 | From 1 January 2012 | |
| Cattle slurry | 20% | 35% |
| Pig slurry | 25% | 45% |
| Poultry manure | 20% | 30% |
| Other livestock manure | 10% | 10% |