CLA Response to the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Consultation

"If the proposal in the consultation are taken forward, many livestock farmers could end up in financial ruin", said Tanya Olmeda-Hodge, Head of Environment at the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in response the publication today (21st August) of the DEFRA consultation paper on Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). "We have seen a marked increase in the amount of environmentally friendly farming practices among farmers. Over the last 20 years for instance we have seen a reduction of 30% in inorganic fertiliser use, mainly due to land managers taking a more environmentally friendly approach to farming - increasing advice on nutrient management from advisers and agronomists on the ground have assisted this change, and incentives for nutrient and manure management plans under ELS have further influenced. We believe that this type of supportive approach will win hearts and minds of farmers and help them to manage their nutrients better - as they already doing.

"Yet some of DEFRA's suggestions on nitrate management are based on neither cost-effective, proportionate nor scientifically sound principles. The proposal that 100% of England could come under Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), could cause huge costs in areas where there is no nitrate problem. The ration between the costs and benefits is clearly unbalanced. Some of the most expensive measures, such as longer closed periods for spreading manure and an extension to all soils, will only contribute to a small reduction in nitrate but mean costly storage facilities will be required in the order of tens of thousands of pounds for some farms.

"If the Government is serious about these proposals, then they must set out how they intend to support the sector by providing grants for slurry storage as they do in Northern Ireland and encouraging the use of anaerobic digestion – a technology which would help the Government reach its own renewable energy targets. The use of cover crops, which does not even come under the prescriptive rules of the Nitrate Directive, should remain as a voluntary option," ended Tanya Olmeda-Hodge.

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More articles and documents

'ESS Is More' says CLA
[News Archive]
[24 February 2005]

GN17-08 Manure Storage, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and Agricultural Holdings Act Tenancies
[Guidance notes]
[26 November 2008]

Environmental impact of pesticides used in agriculture
[Consultation response archive]
[18 December 2002]

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