On the 1st of August 2024, the final phase of ‘The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021’ (CoAPR) legislation introduced closed periods for spreading high readily available Nitrogen manures in Wales.
SMR 1 – Water Protection, has been updated to reflect requirements applying to all land from 1st August 2024 under the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021. These changes include requirements to comply with closed periods for spreading organic manures with high readily available Nitrogen (includes slurry and poultry manure) and to ensure sufficient storage capacity for manure during the storage period.
Closed periods
You must not spread during the dates shown in the table below (all dates are inclusive).
| Soil Type | Grassland | Tillage Land |
| Sandy or shallow soil | 1st September – 31st December | 1st August – 31st December |
| All other soils | 15th October – 15th January | 1st October – 31st January |
Exemptions to closed periods
Spreading organic manure with high readily available Nitrogen on tillage land with sandy or shallow soil is permitted between 1st August and 15th September inclusive, provided that the crop is sown on or before 15th September.
Exemptions also apply to registered organic producers. For more information, please refer to The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021 Guidance for Farmers and Land Managers
Post closed period restrictions
From the end of the closed period until the end of February, the maximum amount of slurry that may be spread at any one time is 30 cubic metres per hectare and the maximum amount of poultry manure that may be spread at any one time is 8 tonnes per hectare. There must be at least three weeks between each spreading.
A full list of key farming dates that you must follow to be compliant with cross compliance regulations can be viewed here.
Further help & advice
Read the full guidance at: https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2023-10/water-resources-control-agricultural-pollution-wales-regulations-2021-guidance-farmers-and-land.pdf
For further help and advice, please contact our Agricultural Compliance team on 01981 590514.
