Appendix 4 – Farm Slurry and Manure Management Plan

Ideally, all farms should have a Farm Slurry and Manure Management Plan (FSMMP) in place that is regularly reviewed and adhered to.  An FSMMP was previously referred to as a Farm Waste Management Plan (FWMP).

All storage facilities should have a minimum of 6 months slurry storage capacity, unless it can be demonstrated to SEPA’s satisfaction through an FSMMP that 6 months is not necessary.  Crop requirements must also be taken into this calculation.  Note statutory minimum periods apply in areas designated as NVZs (22 weeks storage for cattle slurry and 26 weeks for pig slurry).

Using the 4 Point Plan as a starting point, a FSMMP is relatively simple to draw up and includes the following.

1. RAMS assessment/Land availability schedule – Map with the available spreading areas on the farm with risk areas clearly identified as high, medium or low.  See section 3
2. Slurry and manure production schedule – Amount of organic manure and contaminated water produced on a monthly basis, matched to RAMS assessment.  See sections 1 and 2
3. Description of the systems in place for – Collection, storage, transport and land application of slurry, farmyard manure and contaminated water.
4. Information about each system, including- Storage capacity, how it is operated, how those operations are recorded and how the system is monitored and maintained
5. Details of available spreading days – Take account of average monthly rainfall, dry days and frost days and crop requirement.  See Appendix 1 for links to further information.
6. Calculations to demonstrate that the systems in place are adequate to deal with the quantities of slurry and/or manure produced.

Depending on the complexity of the farm, you may need help from an agricultural consultant or other specialist.  If this is the case, preparing most of the data yourself could cut down the time spent by a specialist and therefore reduce the end cost of the plan.

To be effective, an FSMMP needs to be used and updated.  Contractors should be made aware of the risk areas and ensure the FSMMP is followed.  In addition to jeopardizing farm payments through causing pollution, Fixed Monetary Penalties (FMPs) are now in place for non-compliance with GBRs.

This information is updated and abridged from The 4 Point Plan (2003)