Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
Do not allow fertilisers to enter watercourses such as rivers, streams, burns, lakes and lochs or drainage ditches. If you do, you may be committing a pollution offence.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are designated areas that are particularly vulnerable to nitrate pollution.
In Northern Ireland all farmers must comply with rules under the Nitrate Action Programme Regulations and the Phosphorous Regulations.
The Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) 2019-2022
Northern Ireland: Nitrate Action Programme Regulations
DAERA: Summary document – Nitrates Action Programme 2015-2018 and Phosphorus Regulations
Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) – Activity Calendar
DAERA has produced an “Activity Calendar” This summarises the activity and date you need to take action by to ensure compliance with NAP.
Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) – Activity Calendar
In Scotland you should find out whether you are within an NVZ. If you are within an NVZ you will need to follow certain rules, such as limiting the amount of organic and inorganic nitrogen fertiliser you use and keeping records.
Scotland: nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs)
In Scotland you must not store any fertilisers:
In Scotland you must not apply organic fertilisers to:
You must not apply livestock slurry on frozen land.
You must not apply inorganic fertilisers to land that:
In Scotland it is an offence to apply organic or inorganic fertiliser to land in excess of the nutrient needs of the crop.
SRUC: Storage and application of fertiliser
You should store fertilisers:
In Scotland your fertiliser store must not be within 10m of any:
or within 50m of any spring supplying water for human consumption or any uncapped borehole where the ingress of water is possible.
Clean up any fertiliser spills immediately.
Bund your storage tanks. The bund should be able to hold the contents of the tank plus an extra 10%.
Inspect your tanks and pipework regularly (at least once a year) for signs of damage.
Lock valves shut on tanks if the fertiliser could empty when the valve is opened accidentally or as a result of vandalism.
Use storage tanks that are resistant to corrosion from liquid fertiliser. If you use a mild steel tank to store nitrogen fertilisers, you can protect it from corrosion by first filling it with a phosphate-containing fertiliser. This creates a protective layer on the inside of the tank.
Do not apply fertilisers:
Assess all fields on a regular basis for soil nutrient (phosphate and potash) and lime requirements. This allows you to match the amount of nutrient you apply in fertilisers to the need of the crop.
Calibrate spinning disc spreaders for the correct spread width to ensure even application of fertilisers to fields.
Organic fertilisers
In Scotland you must not apply organic fertilisers to:
For more information, download the following factsheet from Farming and Water Scotland:
Know the Rules: Slurry and Manure
Inorganic fertilisers
You must not apply inorganic fertilisers to land that:
is frozen, waterlogged, or covered with snow.
Application of fertilisers
In Scotland it is an offence to apply organic or inorganic fertiliser to land in excess of the nutrient needs of the crop.
In Scotland you must ensure that the equipment used to apply organic or inorganic fertiliser is maintained and in a good state of repair.
For more information, download the following factsheet from Farming and Water Scotland:
Know the Rules: Inorganic Fertilisers
Watch our short videos:
How to protect soil and water on a farm
How to make good use of nutrients on a farm
The codes of good agricultural practice provide advice on how to prevent nitrates and phosphorous leaching from your fields into water.
In Northern Ireland, see the DAERA guidance on fertiliser controls.
DAERA: NAP 2019-2022: Changes to NAP and New Measures
DAERA: Nitrates Action Programme and Phosphorus Regulations 2015-2018 Guidance Booklet
In Scotland, see section 6 of the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code.
Defra provides guidance for Northern Ireland on fertilisers:
Defra: Fertiliser manual (Northern Ireland)
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) publishes two codes of practice for solid and liquid fertilisers.
Agricultural Industries Confederation: Fertiliser publications
PEPFAA nitrogen and phosphorous supplement (Scotland) (Adobe PDF 11KB)
Groundwater in Northern Ireland, DAERA have produced a leaflet to raise awareness about this untapped resource
EU Exit, EU Exit useful information
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