LAND MANAGEMENT AND LEGISLATION. Tim Schofield Suffolk FWAG Wednesday - 9 th December 2015

Transcription

1 LAND MANAGEMENT AND LEGISLATION Tim Schofield Suffolk FWAG Wednesday - 9 th December 2015

2 TOPICS SMR /GAEC GROUND WATER PROTECTION ZONES NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT: DURING STOCKING POST STOCKING COVER CROPS

3 CROSS COMPLIANCE Cross compliance -The rules that you must adhere to when you claim payments under: Basic Payment Scheme Countryside Stewardship ELS (and OELS) HLS (and OHLS) Woodland Management Grant and Farm Woodland Premium elements of the English Woodland Grant Scheme As before, the rules comprise Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) and Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs)

4 KEY CHANGES GAECs / SMRs All of GAECs and most of SMRs have been renumbered, some GAECs have been split or merged into other rules. Some SMRs and GAECs have been removed: SMR 3 (sewage sludge) SMRs 13,14 and 15 (animal diseases including foot and mouth, bluetongue) GAEC 11 (control of weeds) and 12 (agricultural land not in agricultural production) replaced by new rule requiring land not in agricultural production to be kept clear of dense scrub

5 KEY CHANGES GAECs / SMRs There is no longer a need to keep a Soil Protection Review but there are new rules for soils GAEC 4, 5 and 6. (NB you may still be required to show your 2014 soil protection review to an inspector) New GAEC 7 (landscape features) includes: A longer no-trimming season for hedges and trees (1 March to 31 August; a derogation may be available to cut hedges in August in advance of sowing oilseed rape or temporary grassland)

6 Key rules GAEC 1 Protecting watercourses from pollution & run-off You must maintain a buffer strip alongside a watercourse (2m from centre of watercourse/ditch or 1m from top of bank), and not apply fertilisers or pesticides to this area. (Fields of less than 2ha are exempt, as before). Produce and maintain an up-to date map showing all surface waters and land within 10m; and all springs, wells and boreholes on the holding and land within 50m

7 GAEC 4 Minimum soil cover You must take all reasonable steps to protect soil by having a minimum soil cover unless there is an agronomic justification for not doing so, or where establishing a cover would conflict with the requirements under GAEC 5 Soil cover includes crops of all types, grass, herbaceous forage, cover crops, game cover, crops planted for biodiversity, trees, coppice, fruit crops, hops, nursery crops, vines, overwintered stubbles from combinable crops, other stubbles and crop residues (vegetable, maize, sugar beet)

8 GAEC 4 Minimum soil cover - Acceptable agronomic reasons for not having cover: The land is being prepared as a seedbed, and the land is sown within 14 days of preparation, where weather conditions allow Managed land used for pest, disease and weed control, including land that has been cultivated or ploughed to prevent weeds going to seed Land used for the installation and maintenance of field drains Areas created for agri-environment schemes or greening, or for the purpose of establishing habitat conditions beneficial to biodiversity or wildlife The land is heathland to which restoration techniques are being applied Heather and grass burning Land used for outdoor pig or poultry production or overwintered livestock where it is not reasonably practicable to maintain cover due to the actions of the animals Land where the action of frost on the land over winter is used to break down the soil naturally to create a seedbed for spring cropping Peatland that is bare for historic reasons Land which is bare for the purposes of removing turf for non-fuel purposes. Derogations may be possible for circumstances not covered.

9 GAEC 5 Minimum land management GAEC 5 Minimum land management reflecting site specific conditions to limit erosion You must put measures in place to limit soil and bankside erosion caused by (for example): cropping practices, livestock management (including outdoor pigs and poultry), wind, vehicles, trailers and machinery You must remove soil compaction by primary cultivation methods where it is likely to cause erosion Penalties are possible if erosion is over a single area greater than 1 hectare, or is a continuous area of more than 20m x 2m next to a watercourse caused by livestock trampling

10 SMR 1 REDUCE WATER POLLUTION IN NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES [NVZs] CLAIMANTS WITH LAND IN NVZs MUST HELP TO REDUCE WATER POLLUTION BY USING AND STORING FERTILISER AND MANURE CAREFULLY.

11 Dealing with Nutrients During Stocking Livestock manure N farm limit (170 Kg N/ha) (A) 50 Ha Total N produced in pig manure / year on your farm [Outdoor only ] 750 sows producing 18kg N per year per sow. Livestock manure N farm limit (170 Kg N ha) (B) Livestock manure N capacity (A x B) = 170 kg 8,500kg rules for NVZ in England for The livestock manure N capacity must not be exceeded by your total farms production of N for any calendar year Otherwise you will be in breach of the NVZ rules for TOTAL N produced = 13,500kg If the actual amount of N exceeds your total farms N limit, you must stake mitigating measures, such as decreasing the stocking rate

12 SMR 1 REDUCE WATER POLLUTION IN NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES [NVZs] TEMPORARY STORAGE OF SOLID MANURE IN FIELD HEAPS. YOU MUST : Make sure that field heaps are at least 10 metres from any surface water or land drain [including ditches], or 30 metres if the land slopes at 12 degrees or more. Locate field heaps at least 50metres from a spring, well, or borehole. Move any field heap at least every 12 months Allow a 2 year gap before returning to same site. Keep records of siting and dates of use. Show heaps on the holding risk map.

13 GROUND WATER PROTECTION ZONES Inner Protection Zone (SPZ1) - Red Water within this zone takes a maximum of 50 days to flow to the borehole where it is abstracted. Outer Protection Zone (SPZ2) - Green Water within this zone takes a maximum of 400 days to flow to the borehole where it is abstracted. Source Catchment Protection Zone (SPZ3) Blue This is the entire area around a water source from where all the drinking water abstracted is considered to have originated.

14 Dealing with Nutrients During Stocking SITES OPERATING UNDER AN FBT If the expected level of N deposited exceeds your total farm s N limit, [as per NVZ guidelines ] you should provide clear evidence of mitigating measures such as: Exporting manure from temporary field heaps Encouraging vegetative growth on areas not under paddock or track management. [ no-go zones] Encouraging vegetative growth within paddock layouts where potential exists Ensure you capture nutrients with a cover crop immediately following stock removal* SITES OPERATING UNDER LICENCE Under a licensing agreement you will have the facility to disperse the expected Nitrogen load across all eligible land within the holding. However, it is still best practice to provide clear evidence of mitigating measures such as: Exporting manure from temporary field heaps Encouraging vegetative growth on areas not under paddock or track management. [ no-go zones] Encouraging vegetative growth within paddock layouts where potential exists Ensure you capture nutrients with a cover crop immediately following stock removal* * Or ensure the rotation immediately plans to establish a crop

15 Dealing with Nutrients During Stocking Use every opportunity to generate and retain ground cover Remove paddock compaction in suitable conditions, before surface water becomes an issue

16 Dealing with Nutrients During Stocking NO-GO AREA PLANTED WITH POLLINATOR MIXTURE

17 Dealing with Nutrients post stocking Cover crops Meeting the requirements of GAECs 4 and 5 could be strengthened by sowing a cover crop as the site is de-stocked. The key environmental benefits include: Nutrients [in particular, N] are taken up and there is a reduced risk of leaching into surface watercourses and sensitive ground waters. Improvements in soil structure, drainage and health Increases in organic matter Potential reduction of soil borne pests Potential help in meeting Greening requirements OIL RADISH COVER CROP

18 Dealing with Nutrients Post Stocking REMINDER OF GAEC 4 AND 5 GAEC4 - MINIMUM SOIL COVER You must take all reasonable steps to protect soils by having a minimum cover unless there is an acceptable agronomic justification for not doing so. [during stocking there is an acceptable agronomic reason the land is being used for outdoor pig production] GAEC5 - MINIMUM LAND MANAGEMENT REFLECTING SITE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS TO LIMIT EROSION You must have minimum land management which reflects site specific conditions in order to limit erosion You must put measures in place to limit soil and bankside erosion caused, for example, by livestock management, including outdoor pigs and poultry, causing overgrazing and poaching You could lose some of your scheme payments if erosion is over a single area greater than 1 Ha, or caused by livestock trampling along a continuous stretch of more than 20 metres long and 2 metres wide of a watercourse

19 Dealing with Nutrients post stocking Cover crops COVER CROPS CAN EFFICIENTLY CAPTURE AND RECYCLE NUTRIENTS. TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT THEY OFFER, PLAN YOUR MOVING DATES CAREFULLY. BEST RESULTS COME FROM PLANTING EARLY AND THIS ENSURES THE MAXIMUM ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT IN TERMS OF SOIL MANAGEMENT. AGREE AT FIRST STOCKING WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOIL MANAGEMENT BETWEEN DE-STOCKING AND NEXT ARABLE CROP.

20 Dealing with compaction pre or post stocking?

21

22

23 SUFFOLK FWAG UNIT 10, BRIDGE FARM WICKHAM MARKET WOODBRIDGE SUFFOLK IP13 0AA