East Lothian Courier | News | Farmer's fury at 'absurd' rule

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Thursday, 14th February, 2008 09:00

Farmer's fury at 'absurd' rule

A STENTON pig farmer is facing a shock £500,000 outlay to comply with new European legislation designed to reduce water pollution.

James Wyllie, of Ruchlaw Mains Farm, believes that’s how much it could cost him to build and maintain units to store manure in accordance with EU rules governing Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs).

An European directive controls periods when farmers can spread manure or slurry to fertilise their land.

In the “closed periods” lasting up to six months, farmers will be barred from spreading organic fertiliser, forcing them to store it in the meantime.

A bi-product of “dunging the field” is that certain soil types, eg. sandy or shallow soils, are susceptible to nitrates seeping through into ground or surface water.

A furious Mr Wyllie said: “The proposal that came out of the consultation is absurd. Groundwater with a nitrate concentration greater that 50mg per litre is the threshold for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), but in recent surveys of the Tyne there has only been seven microgrammes per litre.

“Being asked to build storage units to accommodate six months of manure when it may only be one or two months worth is like a supermarket building a huge stock room for half a year’s produce, but restocking the shelves every day.

“Why would they ask me to store it for six months when I can spread it when the closed period is over?”

The storage units and other associated costs could amount to up to £500,000, said Mr Wyllie.

And other county farmers could also be hit hard by the ruling, as East Lothian is included in one of four designated NVZs in Scotland.

South of Scotland Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume said: “The news last year of the extended closed period was a real blow to farmers whose businesses fall into the 14 per cent of Scotland’s farmland designated nitrate vulnerable.”

Many farmers, added the MSP, would simply be unable to absorb the cost of the additional farm slurry storage facilities the new rules demand.

However, Mr Hume has received an assurance from the Scottish Government that producers will have three years in which to comply with the regulations, and that some funding support will be available.

But Mr Hume added: “There are still some questions left unanswered because any financial support available will come from the Scottish Rural Development Plan which means that the financial support allocated to helping those struggling with NVZ compliance could have a detrimental impact upon other aspects of the Plan and therefore other areas of agriculture.”

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