The Environment Agency (EA) is stepping up to support farmers in England who face slurry storage issues through another potentially difficult winter season. This follows a wet winter and spring which has put pressure on slurry stores already, with many farmers reporting concerns around managing volumes as the increased rainfall meant that they were both accumulating more slurry and unable to spread it on their fields. Even those who put preparations in place last year still faced storage issues, which has prompted the EA to help farmers with their ‘Winter Ready campaign’.
Wet weather throughout the year has already put pressures on farms’ storage, and if this continues, it is important to have enough storage and a robust back up plan in place.
The EA is encouraging farmers to start their preparations now and stressing the importance of having enough storage and a robust back up plan in place. Help and advice is available from local EA Officers or by calling the EA’s National Customer Contact Centre hotline on 03708 506 506.
Some simple steps and solutions to tackle slurry storage issues include:
- Ensuring you have adequate storage to see you through winter without the need to spread. The EA recommends having six months of storage to help comply with the requirements of the Farming Rules for Water to spread only according to crop and soil need.
- Covering slurry tanks, lagoons and pits and using the summer months to fix draining and clear guttering to ensure separation of clean and dirty water, meaning less rainwater mixes with slurry to increase its volume.
- Refraining from taking sludge, digestate or other materials if you don’t have an immediate need for them. Even if you are contracted to take these materials, all producers have a responsibility to ensure bi-products and waste are properly disposed of.
Defra has already offered a Slurry Infrastructure Grant which is designed to help farmers improve or expand slurry storage capacity and improve the use of organic nutrients on their farm.
Other support includes a range of capital items available through Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants that can support farmers to reduce the amount of slurry generated on their farm. This includes slurry store covers, roofing, concrete yards and drainage systems.
Please contact us on 01981 590514 for advice on calculating storage requirements or for help with applying for Countryside Stewardship Capital Grant items.
