https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/sustainable-farming-incentive-pilot-guidance-use-less-fertiliser-manure-and-lime/
Use less fertiliser, manure and lime
The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.
Organic fertilisers
The nutrients and organic matter in organic fertiliser increase soil fertility, which benefits crops. This is particularly important if soils have low levels of nutrients or organic matter.
Organic fertilisers include:
- livestock manure
- biosolids or sludge
- composts
- anaerobic digestates
- waste materials from food processing such as effluent and sludge
You may be able to recycle manure or other types of fertiliser produced on your land.
Benefits of using organic fertilisers
The benefits include:
- less need for chemical fertilisers, and therefore lower costs
- more organic matter within soils, which makes them easier to work
- improved soil structure, which makes it easier to drive vehicles over the land
- improved soil health, with more beneficial soil microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, and earthworms, and increased carbon storage
- increased organic matter, which makes soil less prone to waterlogging and runoff, and more resilient to drought
- organic matter helping to degrade pesticides, which reduces the risk of runoff and leaching
- improved water quality due to reduced runoff, so watercourses will look clearer with less sediment
You can apply organic fertiliser instead of chemical fertiliser on any arable land, grassland, or land used for horticulture or forestry.
Public benefits include:
- improved drinking and bathing water quality
- reduced flood risk
- increased carbon storage
- less carbon dioxide from the production of artificial fertilisers
Before you start
Make a nutrient management plan. This will help you meet but not exceed the nutrient needs of the soil and crops. Applying too much fertiliser can lead to pollution.
You must follow the farming rules for water. These require you to take steps to stop manure, fertiliser or soil getting into water bodies.
If your land is in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ), you’ll need to follow the NVZ rules. Use MAGIC to check if your land is in an NVZ. You can also read guidance on using nitrogen fertilisers in an NVZ.
Create a spreading risk map for your whole farm to help you consider the risks of pollution and meet regulatory requirements. Locate and give details of features like:
- soil type
- land slope
- ground cover
- nearby watercourses
- nearby boreholes
You may need an Environment Agency permit to spread some organic fertilisers.
Check whether your planned activity could be exempt under rules that allow you to spread certain waste on agricultural land.
You should follow the Code of Good Agricultural Practice and the sewage sludge code of practice.
How to use organic fertiliser
If you use liquids like slurry and digestate, it’s important that they infiltrate quickly into the soil. This will reduce loss of nitrogen (as ammonia) into the air. To minimise ammonia output, spread slurry and digestate using:
- dribble bars
- trailing shoes
- soil injection
Avoid using splash plate spreaders as they can increase odour and ammonia loss to the air.
To reduce soil compaction:
- use light machinery like an umbilical hose
- avoid heavy machinery, which can compress the soil
- check tyre pressures are correct and axle weights are not exceeded
- do not spread slurry or digestate when the ground is flooded or waterlogged
Aim to use organic fertilisers for 50% to 60% of the crop’s nitrogen requirement. Use manufactured fertiliser for the rest. This will minimise the potential impact on crop yields and quality by varying nitrogen supply from organic materials.
Check if you can get funding for new precision fertiliser and manure application equipment.
When to use organic fertiliser
Apply organic fertiliser when crops are actively growing. This is when they take up most nutrients, so runoff, leaching and loss to the air will be minimal.
The best weather conditions to apply fertiliser are when it is:
- cooler, up to about 20°C
- cloudy
- not windy
Light rain after the application will help fertiliser soak into the soil. Heavy rain will increase the risk of nutrient runoff, or leaching of nutrients into the soil too deep for crops to use.
