In some parts of England the Environment Agency have been carrying out remote inspections to check if landowners have had suitable green cover in place on cultivated land over the autumn and winter.
Under the statutory guidance 2.4 Assessment of reasonable precautions it is stated “Land managers should plan to have established green cover by 15th October as a reasonable precaution to help prevent agricultural diffuse pollution resulting from applications to that land.” If there are no applications of manure or manufactured fertiliser, a green cover would not be expected (though it does offer other potential benefits for soil retention etc).
The Farming Rules for Water (FRfW) requires land managers to take account of any ground cover when planning applications of organic manures and fertilisers. They also require land managers to take reasonable precautions to prevent diffuse agriculture and list examples which include establishing crops early in autumn and the sowing of cover crops. The Regulations are not prescriptive so landowners and managers don’t have to take these precautions specifically, but in the event of an incident or chronic pollution from soil erosion where cover crops were not put in place, an officer may decide that reasonable precautions had not been taken.
Within the guidance, green cover means any commercial crop, green manure or cover crop. It does not include natural regeneration of stubble following the harvest of the previous crop.
There is funding available both through the Countryside Stewardship and SFI schemes for planting cover crops which would meet the above requirements.
For further information and advice, please contact us on 01981 590514.
