1* Recommended – likely to occur for reasons outlined. Some elements mandatory. *See Table 2 page 8
FYM is a highly valuable resource on the organic farm and the main aim of manure management is to conserve as much nutrient value as possible. Export of FYM or slurries is clearly inadvisable for an organic farmer and manure imports are restricted in both amount and source and are rare due to practical reasons of bulk and cost. For all agricultural systems, the Code of Good Practice for the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity provides advice on the storage and use of slurries, manures and composts. There are no additional standards prescribed for organic procedures at the present time. Best practice is to stack and cover FYM to avoid nutrient leaching during the winter and if manures are stacked outdoors the heaps must not be within 10 metres of watercourses or 50 metres of boreholes. Application of FYM and slurry should also be timed to avoid leaching especially in high rainfall areas. Manures should only be applied when crops are growing and able to take up nutrients, so spreading between mid September and mid February should be avoided.
Storage and handling methods are not likely to show a significant difference between conventional and organic farming (Frost, 2003) but the extensive nature of upland and hill farming will impact on manure and compost requirements. The main impact will arise from an increase in cattle numbers in the uplands as cattle are the main producers of storable manures (currently estimated at a value of £30/annum/cow)
(WAG, 2003). However, the reintroduction of cattle to the uplands with winter housing will increase requirements for straw, or other carbon-rich materials and the need for safe storage of manure.
Do’s and Don’ts of Manure Management on the Upland Organic
Farm
• Do prevent surface water from getting into the manure heap and diluting it
• Do assess storage requirements
• Do prevent nutrient-leaching due to insufficient storage capacity
• Do cover the heap - to cut down on losses of potash and phosphate from rainwater leaching through the stack
• Do consider composting the FYM - helps kill off weed seeds such as dock
• Do target fields shut up for forage production or aftermaths
• Don’t apply FYM at the wrong time of year - the ground should be warm enough for the soil to be active for maximum fixing of nutrients
• Don’t over-apply FYM - heavy applications may lead to wastage
• Don’t spread FYM at more than a maximum equivalent to 170-kg N per hectare per year over the whole holding.
• Don’t stack manures in heaps within 10 metres of watercourses or 50 metres of boreholes
Source: Guide to Organic Farming in the Uplands (ADAS Pwllpeiran)
Amounts of allowed manure import are limited by the Organic Standards: the total amount of manure applied on the holding may not exceed 170 kg of Nitrogen per year per hectare of agricultural area used, which includes existing stocking. To bring conventional FYM onto an organic farm requires the permission of the certification body. Any such manures need to be composted for 3 months or stacked for 6 months (or in the case of poultry manure for 6 and 12 months respectively) before use. All conventional animal manures that are brought on to an organic holding must be free of GMOs. Thus imported FYM must come from animals that are either forage-fed only, or if they have been fed supplementary feed the rations must have a GMO-free declaration.
In Wales, environmental management prescriptions in the Organic Farming Scheme prohibit the application of manures within one metre of boundary features.
5.7.1 Biodiversity Impacts: Flora
Best practice storage will reduce rank areas of runoff and allow other species to flourish. Best practice applications will reduce run-off to water courses/ditches and reduce weed ingress typical of high fertility water-course loading e.g. nettles.
5.7.2 Biodiversity Impacts: Fauna
Best practice manure management will not compromise water course fauna and will enable composting or part composting – itself a promoter of bio-diversity from bacterial to mesofauna levels.
5.7.3 Soil, Air and Water Quality Impacts
The use of composted FYM has impacts on soil, air (emissions through stacking, turning and spreading) however the issue of FYM production rather than slurry is dealt with elsewhere (ADAS and EFRC, undated).
Considering the use of slurries, manures and composts, spring application reduces the risk of N leaching but may increase the risk of P and pathogen transfer to water (Unwin et al., 1995). The quantity of slurry or dirty water applied at any one time is usually less on organic farms because of the quantities available (reduced stocking) and the desire to maximise benefits to crop growth. The risk of subsequent run off problems is therefore reduced (Unwin et al., 1995). This is particularly important in upland water catchment areas that are vulnerable to leachate run off.
5.7.4 Resource Use Impacts
Conservation of nutrients and re-cycling within farms saves considerable resources in purchased nutrients. Awareness of the nutrient content of manures and slurries promotes good practice. Composting of FYM assists the building of organic matter in depleted soils.
5.7.5 Agri-environment Scheme Requirements
It is proposed that Waste Management Plans should become compulsory for organic farmers. It is also recommended, however, that there should be a change of name from Waste Management Plans, as this implies something that is surplus to requirement and useless.
The use of umbilical cord systems of slurry spreading in environmentally sensitive areas should be controlled as in the opinion of the Environment Agency they represented a pollution threat to water courses. These systems can be used in conditions when tractor pulled spreaders cannot operate and where, by their very nature: steepness, wetness and vegetation they should not be getting slurry spread on them, and are used in weather conditions which are likely to contribute to field run off and water course pollution (Merriman, pers.comm.).
5.7.6 Standards Changes
See above.5.7.7 Education & Dissemination
Farm Waste Management Plans, which are presently a voluntary option for all farmers, were introduced specifically to protect water from slurry and manure pollution incidents. Incorrectly stored slurries, manures and composts will create potential pollution risk, whether on organic or conventional farms. See also comments on Umbilical Cord systems, above.