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January 2024 Fertiliser Matters Issue 1/2024

Fertiliser Matters is issued quarterly by email to FACTS Qualified Advisers and Subscribers.
Subscription to FACTS is individual not corporate and this newsletter should not be copied to anyone
who is not an FQA or a FACTS Subscriber. Such copying is unfair to those who pay their
subscription and dilutes the value of the scheme.

Technical information help-line contacts tel. 07748184515 email [email protected].

Previous issues of Fertiliser Matters are in BASIS Classroom at www.basis-reg.com.

Ian Richards editor

Contents Page
Nutrient advice
Excess winter rainfall 2
Cereal straw removal 2
Research and information
Rothamsted regenerative agriculture study 3
Warming effect of methane 4
Noisy earthworms 5
Regulations and codes
Wales: Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) Regulations 5
England: Slurry infrastructure grant 6
England: Slurry store covers 6
England: Cross compliance ends 7
New products, services and publications
New BASIS courses 7
AIC report on FIAS 7
Spot application of starter fertiliser 8
Agriculture in the UK dashboard 8
AHDB Slurry Wizard updated 9
Biosolids application to land 9
AGRITECHNICA Silver Awards 9
Updated PDA leaflet on potash, phosphate and sulphur for cereals 10
Eurofins now leads SRUC laboratory services 10
When nitrogen really was expensive 10
Where to find information 11
Useful web sites 12
Dates for the diary 13

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you up to date on technical information and on sources of
information. In order to do this, it is necessary often to describe new products or services or to give
contact details for commercial organizations. Inclusion of information about new software,
publications or products does not imply any endorsement of those items by FACTS; nor does
omission imply criticism.

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Nutrient advice
Excess winter rainfall

Excess winter rainfall is used with soil type and previous crop to identify the SNS index of arable
crops in the Nutrient Management Guide (RB2098). It is the amount of rainfall falling after the soil
profile becomes fully wetted in the autumn (field capacity) and before the end of drainage in the
spring. Some water will be lost by evapotranspiration over winter so, if this amount can be estimated,
it should be subtracted. Excess winter rainfall is better than total annual rainfall as a measure of
leaching potential during a particular winter but it’s more difficult to estimate. Fortunately, AHDB
publish annually maps showing excess winter rainfall for the UK calculated using evapotranspiration
for bare soil, winter wheat, winter barley and winter oilseed rape. The maps show areas of high (>250
mm), moderate (150-250 mm) and low (<150 mm) excess winter rainfall. These categories can then
be used with the tables in Section 4 of the Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) to identify the SNS
index for a field.

The maps are at https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/how-to-use-excess-winter-rainfall-data-to-

plan-nitrogen-applications. They are updated as the season progresses.

Advisory points:

• If you are using RB209 for nitrogen recommendations for arable crops, check the excess
winter rainfall maps before nitrogen applications in spring. Use the rainfall category shown
on the map to get the SNS index.

Cereal straw removal

The British Survey of Fertiliser Practice includes questions on removal of cereal straw. In recent
years, around 95% of barley straw and 80% of wheat straw has been baled and removed from fields.
In the 1980s, 80% of barley straw and 40% of wheat straw was baled.

Percentage of straw removed from field

(Source: BSFP)
120

100
% of straw removed

80
W wheat
60
W barley
40 S barley

20

0
1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

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Current market prices are around £60/t for barley straw and £50/t for wheat straw. The fertiliser-
equivalent value of the phosphate and potash in straw currently is around £8-10/t so it’s easy to see
why so much straw is baled.

kg nutrient/t straw £/t straw

P2O5 K2 O P2O5 K2 O Total
Winter wheat/barley 1.2 9.5 0.95 0.72 8.0
Spring wheat/barley 1.5 12.5 0.95 0.72 10.4

Straw incorporation brings other benefits as well as phosphate and potash as it adds organic matter
and, over time, can improve soil quality. Nevertheless, £50-60/t straw remains attractive. Straw that
is used for livestock bedding will return to land eventually but usually not to the fields from which it
was removed. Some of the phosphate and potash in straw burned as biomass also will be returned to
land in ash.

The pros and cons of straw incorporations are shown in Is it better to incorporate or sell straw? At
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/cereal-straw-incorporate-or-sell and in To chop or not to
chop? That is the question at www.fas.scot/article/to-chop-or-not-to-chop. There is greater technical
detail in the AHDB Research Review 81 Straw incorporation review at https://ahdb.org.uk/straw-
incorporation-review. This includes a decision tree on p55 that leads through the process of arriving
at a decision to bale or to incorporate.

Removing straw has a strong effect on the amount of potash that needs to be applied to maintain soil
status. A typical 5 t straw/ha will remove 50-60 kg K2O/ha. It’s easy to forget this when making
fertiliser plans.

The British Survey of Fertiliser Practice for the 2022 crop year can be downloaded at
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/british-survey-of-fertiliser-practice-2022.

Advisory points:

• If straw is removed regularly, take special care with soil potash levels. Some heavy clays
might be resilient to potash removal but other soils can deplete rapidly.
• Basic point but sometimes forgotten – make sure to use the right phosphate and potash
recommendations for cereals table in RB209 (Section 4, Table 4.13 if incorporating straw,
Table 4.14 if removing straw)).

Research and information

New long-term field experiments from Rothamsted Research

In 2017 and 2018, Rothamsted Research established a long-term field experiment at two sites:
Rothamsted in Hertfordshire (adjacent to the Broadbalk experiment established in 1843) and Brooms

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Barn in Suffolk. The Large Scale Rotation Experiment tests effects of four management factors on
multiple measured variables. The management factors are rotation (three, five and seven year),
cultivation (inversion and reduced tillage), crop protection (conventional and integrated pest
management) and nutrition (mineral fertiliser to local recommendations and mineral fertilisers plus
cover crop or applied compost). Effects of these managements are being measured not just in
agronomy (yield and crop quality) but also in environmental impact (soil health, resource use
efficiency, losses to the environment and biodiversity) and economic performance (inputs and farm
profitability). The experiment is intended to act as a resource to help with development of more
sustainable farming practices. This would continue the tradition of the long-term experiments
established at Rothamsted that are used now for studies not dreamed of when the experiments began
in the nineteenth century.

Initial results have shown that reduced tillage gave lower yields but the effect varied with crop
rotation, previous crop and site. Applying organic matter increased barley yield but again the effect
varied with site. These results are likely to change with time as effects of the different managements
on the soil accumulate. The interactions found already among management, soil, crop and site
indicate there will be no simple way to develop the most sustainable farming system.

The experiment is described at www.rothamsted.ac.uk/news/new-long-term-experiments-rothamsted-

will-shed-light-potential-impacts-regenerative and full details are given Xiaoxi et al. (2023) A new
Rothamsted long‑term field experiment for the twenty‑first century: principles and practice.
Agronomy for Sustainable Development https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-023-00914-8 (free to
download).

Warming effect of methane

Global warming potential (GWP) is widely used to indicate the effect of a greenhouse gas. Usually, it
is shown over a one-hundred-year period (GWP100). This works well for long-lived gases like carbon
dioxide (half-life in the atmosphere is 1000+ years) and nitrous oxide (half-life around 110 years) but
not for short-lived gases like methane (half-life around 12-15 years). When calculating GWP100, it is
assumed that methane remains in the atmosphere for the full hundred years so a constant emission
rate will result in steadily increasing warming. However, as methane is broken down after twelve to
fifteen years, a constant emission rate will cause no additional warming after the initial twelve to
fifteen years. Steadily decreasing methane emissions will lead to a cooling effect. There’s a good
description of this at https://clear.ucdavis.edu/explainers/gwp-star-better-way-measuring-methane-
and-how-it-impacts-global-temperatures.

Recognizing this, a group from UK, Norway and New Zealand, led by the University of Oxford,
developed a modified measure, GWP*, to describe more accurately the contribution of short-lived
gases to warming potential (www.nature.com/articles/s41612-018-0026-8).

In 2023, researchers from Rothamsted Research, University of Oxford, Cranfield University, SRUC,
Harper Adams University, University of Bristol and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
published a comparison of methods for describing GWP for a pasture-based beef system. It was
concluded that GWP* provided the most complete measure
(https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ace204). AHDB has published a useful
summary of this study at https://ahdb.org.uk/news/new-study-supports-gwp-to-measure-methane-
from-livestock?

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Two key messages are:

• The warming effect of UK livestock systems should be less than is reported currently using
the usual GWP100 method of estimation.
• Measures taken to restrict or reduce emission of methane from agriculture will have a rapid
and significant beneficial effect on warming potential.

In 2019, it was estimated that emission from agriculture accounted for 47% of the total UK methane
emission (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agri-climate-report-2021/agri-climate-report-2021).

Noisy earthworms

Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme has funded a two-year project to assess ecoacoustics for
monitoring biological activity in soils. Baker Consultants are leading the project with Warwick
University as partner. This builds on other research by Baker Consultants on use of ecoacoustics to
assess biodiversity in forestry soils. Earthworms and other larger soil organisms emit characteristic
sounds as they move and feed.

The technique involves the use of microphones to record the characteristic sounds of earthworm
activity. A database of acoustic signatures of soils under a range of locations and land management
practices is to be constructed to allow benchmarking of recordings in individual fields. The aim is to
develop a soil probe that could be used by advisers and farmers to monitor soil condition.

There is information about the project at https://bakerconsultants.co.uk/news/defra-grants-baker-

consultants-major-ecoacoustics-research-grant and at
https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/?newsItem=8a1785d7894966020189559b4f664b
91.

Regulations and codes

Wales: Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) Regulations

Amendments to the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations have
introduced an ‘Enhanced Nutrient Management Approach’ which will operate from 1 st January 2024
to 31st December 2024 where there is a need for more than 170kg/ha nitrogen from livestock manures
to be applied to the land.

Where nutrient management plans for 2024 indicate the annual rate of 170kg/ha nitrogen from
livestock manures is likely to be exceeded, farm businesses must notify Natural Resources Wales by
31 March 2024 and undertake additional actions to minimise the risks associated with the additional
application of manures to land.

The first stage of the amendments was to move the implementation date of the 170kg/ha holding
limit of nitrogen from livestock manure and associated record keeping duties from 31 st October 2023
to 1st January 2024 (www.legislation.gov.uk/en/wsi/2023/1070/contents/made). A further
amendment regulation, which fully implements the Enhanced Nutrient Management approach,
includes details of the measures required in Schedule 1a
(www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2023/1266/contents/made).
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The statements from the Minister for Rural Affairs setting this out are at www.gov.wales/written-
statement-nutrient-management-managing-application-livestock-manures-sustainably-0 (10th
October) and www.gov.wales/written-statement-nutrient-management-managing-application (29th
November).

England: Slurry Infrastructure grant

The Slurry Infrastructure grant, which applies in England, can be used to improve or expand slurry
storage and to cover stores. Grant storage requirements are six months for beef and dairy and eight
months for pigs. Grants in the range £25,000 to £250,000 can be applied for.

The grant must be applied in three stages. Firstly, an online checker is used to determine if a project
is eligible. For this, the latest version of the AHDB Slurry Wizard (October 2023) must be used to
calculate storage requirements. Secondly, a design and assessment form must be submitted by 30th
September 2024. Thirdly, if RPA confirms the project has passed stage two, a full application can be
submitted by 27th June 2025.

Defra has published details of Round 2 of the Slurry Infrastructure grant and guidance for applicants
at www.gov.uk/government/publications/slurry-infrastructure-grant-round-2-applicant-guidance.
There is further information at www.gov.uk/government/news/74m-investment-to-reduce-water-and-
air-pollutionfrom-slurry.

A further round is expected in 2024.

England: Slurry store covers

Permitted pig and poultry units are required to cover slurry stores to help minimize emission of
ammonia. The requirement was expected to be extended to other farms as in the Clean Air Strategy
2019 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c3b9debe5274a70c19d905c/clean-air-strategy-
2019.pdf) the Defra said it would introduce regulations requiring all slurry and digestate stores to be
covered by 2027.

However, in a Defra blog on 12th October (https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2023/10/12/slurry-

infrastructure-grant-guidance-now-available-for-round-2), this requirement was described as a
suggestion and a statement made:

‘All stores will not need to be covered unless or until new rules are brought in. Farmers will be given
plenty of notice and support to implement any new changes. We do not expect that any new rules will
require existing stores to be covered with impermeable covers by 2027.’

Whether or not a requirement for covers is extended, covering slurry stores can reduce ammonia
emissions, at least during the storage period. In September, AHDB organized a webinar on slurry
store covers. Speakers describe the role of store covers in reducing ammonia emission and potential
legislation on the use of covers. The webinar can be watched at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh3rxLFooU0.

The benefits of covering slurry stores are described at https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/benefits-

of-covering-slurry-stores.

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England cross compliance ends

Cross compliance in England ended on 31st December 2023. There is information on what this means
for farmers at www.gov.uk/guidance/cross-compliance.

New products, services and publications

New BASIS courses

BASIS in introducing several new courses which are relevant to nutrient management:

Greenhouse Gases & Carbon

Three courses:

Principles of Carbon and Net Zero

This is online learning through BASIS Classroom and is BASIS accredited. Details of this course,
including the syllabus, are at https://basis-reg.co.uk/training?area=environmental-
courses&course=principles-of-carbon-and-net-zero

Practical Guide to Carbon Footprinting

This is an online short course at BASIS Classroom. Details are at https://basis-

classroom.co.uk/courses/practical-guide-to-carbon-footprinting.

Certificate in Greenhouse Gases, Carbon and Climate Change Mitigation

This is a five-day course and is Harper Adams University accredited. Details, including syllabus, are
at https://basis-reg.co.uk/training?area=environmental-courses&course=certificate-in-greenhouse-
gases-carbon-and-climate-change-mitigation. BASIS Approved Trainers for this course currently are
ADAS and Farm Carbon Toolkit.

Ammonia, dust and odour

Certificate in Air Quality

This is a five-day course and is Harper Adams University accredited. Details, including syllabus, are
at https://basis-reg.co.uk/training?area=environmental-courses&course=air-quality.

If there is a problem with any of these links, at www.basis-reg.co.uk, select Training then
Environmental courses or Online courses and select from the list.

AIC report on FIAS

FIAS (Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme) was launched in 2006 and now 95% of the UK fertiliser
supply industry is part of the scheme. Aims of FIAS are to:

• Give regulators confidence in the product stewardship exercised by the fertiliser industry

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 • Ensure the supply of fertiliser is managed such that products can be used only for legitimate
purposes
• Ensure that the UK fertiliser supply chain is managed at all stages with regard to security,
public safety and the environment
FIAS is guided by a Steering Group that comprises representatives of:

• Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra)

• Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)
• Road Haulage Association (RHA)
• Red Tractor Farm Assurance
• Department for Transport (DfT)
• Port Skills and Safety
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Government
• Industry representatives, the audit and certification body, and AIC Executives

AIC has published a report on progress of FIAS and its value to industry, government, farmers and
the general public. It is pointed out that there have been no major fertiliser incidents in the UK since
FIAS was introduced but, in the same period, incidents have occurred in the USA, Lebanon, Mexico
and France. The interactive report can be read at www.agindustries.org.uk/resource/report-shows-
how-fias-secures-the-uk-s-fertiliser-supply-chain.html.

Spot application of starter fertiliser

Spot application of starter fertiliser close to individual maize seeds can reduce the amount of fertiliser
used when compared to the usual continuous placement. Kverneland developed the PUDAMA spot
application system (https://ien.kverneland.com/pudama) and launched it on the trailed Optima
TFprofi pneumatic drill in 2022 (https://uk.kverneland.com/News/Product-news/pudama-high-yield-
with-less-fertiliser-in-maize-sowing). At Agrotechnica in 2023, PUDAMA was shown fitted to the
folding-frame Optima F drill and this combination will be available from 2024
(https://lectura.press/en/article/pudama-with-precision-drill-kverneland-optima-f/62119).

In January 2023, John Deere launched their ExactShot system that uses sensors and robotics to place
fertiliser beside each seed and that can be fitted to existing John Deere drills
(www.agweb.com/news/machinery/new-machinery/what-john-deeres-new-exactshot-planter-
technology-and-how-does-it-work).

Kverneland claims a potential 25% reduction in the amount of starter fertiliser applied while John
Deere claims a potential 60% reduction.

Agriculture in the UK dashboard

Defra has published a dashboard for the annual Agriculture in the United Kingdom report. This gives
quick access to the main data in the report with clear visual presentation. The dashboard is at
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-dashboard. Have a look at the

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fertiliser consumption graphs (when in the dashboard, select Agri-environment then Fertiliser usage
then look at the nitrogen and phosphate graphs).

The full Agriculture in the United Kingdom reports and datasets are at
www.gov.uk/government/collections/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom.

AHDB Slurry Wizard updated

The AHDB Slurry Wizard is used to calculate storage requirement for cattle or pig slurry taking into
account livestock numbers, housing period, rainfall and yard and roof areas that capture rain. IF you
use a downloaded version of the Slurry Wizard, make sure it is the latest version published in
October 2023 as this includes several improvements.

Slurry Wizard can be downloaded at https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/slurry-wizard (when you

select Download resource, you’ll probably get a message to say the Excel Online version cannot be
opened because it exceeds a 25 mb limit so just select Download file near the top of the page).

Biosolids application to land

UK Water Industry Research has published Biosolids to land: carbon emissions and carbon capture,
the final report of a literature review conducted by ADAS and WRc. The review covered all aspects
of emission including nitrous oxide and methane that contribute to CO 2e. Some conclusions were:

• Around 11% of carbon applied to land in biosolids is likely to be retained long-term (42%
retention after usual anaerobic digestion and 25% retention of that applied to land).
• The average 0.62% emission factor for nitrous oxide (kg N emitted per kg N applied in
biosolids) identified in the review is substantially smaller than the currently-assumed factor of
1%.
• Biosolids application in the UK supplies around 5640 t crop available N, 37450 t P 2O5, 2400 t
K2O and 28000 t crop-available SO3.

The report can be read at https://ukwir.org/final-report-for-biosolids-to-land-carbon-emissions-and-

carbon-capture. All UKWIR reports can be seen at https://ukwir.org/water-industry-research-reports.

AGRITECHNICA Innovation awards

Two Silver awards were made at AGRITECHNICA for systems that improved the accuracy of
fertiliser and manure applications:

Amazone won their award for the CurveControl software that adjusts the lateral distribution of
fertiliser according to cornering speed and corrects the spread pattern in fertiliser broadcasters when
driving around bends. There is information on CurveControl at https://amazone.co.uk/en-
gb/agritechnica/agritechnica-2024-innovations/innovation-details/curvecontrol-for-amazone-
centrifugal-broadcasters-1426724.

Zunhammer won their award for the ECO-Duo Vario slurry spreading system that allows the output
quantity to be regulated independently for each half of the boom. There is information at

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www.agrimachinerynews.com/split-width-variable-rate-slurry-spreader-wins-agritechnica-
innovation-silver-medal.

Another Award was to Precision Planting for their Radicle Agronomics system for the automated
taking, packaging, labelling and analysis of soil samples. There is information at
www.precisionplanting.com/agronomy/news/precision-planting-launches-radicle-agronomicstm

All the 2023 Award winners are shown at www.agritechnica.com/en/awards/innovation-

award/winners-2023.

Updated PDA leaflet on potash, phosphate and sulphur for cereals

The Potash Development Association has updated its leaflet No. 11 on potash for cereals. The new
leaflet contains additional information for potash and now includes phosphate and sulphur. It can be
downloaded at www.pda.org.uk/pda_leaflets/11-potash-for-cereals.

The PDA PK Calculator calculates phosphate and potash offtake for various crops taking account of
yield and straw removal or incorporation. The amount of phosphate and potash that should be applied
to change soil index also is calculated. Th PK Calculator is at
www.pda.org.uk/calculator/pkcalculator.html.

The latest PDA News also covers the potash nutrition of cereals. The role of adequate potash supply
in preventing premature senescence and extending the period of active photosynthesis is described.
The newsletter can be downloaded at www.pda.org.uk/category/potash-news (September 2023 issue).
BASIS award two cpd points for receiving Potash News (sign up at www.pda.org.uk/contact-pda).

Eurofins now leads SRUC laboratory services

On 1st September, Eurofins Agro Testing took over provision of the soil, forage and plant pathology
laboratory services of SRUC in Scotland. There is information at www.sruc.ac.uk/all-news/eurofins-
enters-new-partnership-with-sruc and at www.eurofins-agro.com/en-gb/eurofins-enters-new-
partnership-with-sruc.

When nitrogen really was expensive

Around one thousand years ago, ammonium salts were being traded for use in metallurgy, medicines
and foods. In Asia, these salts were taken from fire caves where ammonia emitted during
spontaneous combustion of near-surface coal reacted to form ammonium chloride (‘sal ammoniac’).
This salt was so valuable that, at the time, 6-8 kg N could have been exchanged for a slave so had the
same perceived value as a human life. In those days, nitrogen really was expensive and lives were
cheap.

The calculations are in Sutton M A et al. (2020) Alkaline air: changing perspectives on nitrogen and
air pollution in an ammonia-rich world. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.378 which
can be downloaded free at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2019.0315.

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 Where to find information
Nutrient Management www.ahdb.org.uk/rb209
Guide (RB209)

Technical Notes https://www.fas.scot/publication/technical-notes

(Scotland)

PLANET/MANNER- www.planet4farmers.co.uk/
NPK

NVZs and similar England www.gov.uk/guidance/nutrient-management-nitrate-

vulnerable-zones

Scotland www.gov.scot/policies/agriculture-and-the-
environment/nvz/

Wales https://gov.wales/water-resources-control-
agricultural-pollution-wales-regulations-2021-
guidance-farmers-and-land

Northern https://www.daera-
Ireland ni.gov.uk/nutrientsactionprogramme2019-2022

Code of Good England www.gov.uk/government/publications/protecting-our-

Agricultural water-soil-and-air
Practice/PEPFAA
(Scotland)
Scotland www.gov.scot/policies/agriculture-and-the-
environment/pepfaa/

Wales http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/farmi
ngandcountryside/farming/code-good-agricultural-
practice-cogap/?lang=en

Northern www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/code-good-
Ireland agricultural-practice-cogap

Cross Compliance England www.gov.uk/guidance/cross-compliance

(ended)
Scotland www.gov.scot/publications/basic-payment-scheme-
guidance/pages/26/

Wales https://gov.wales/cross-compliance

Northern www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/cross-compliance
Ireland

Compost/digestate use https://wrap.org.uk/resources/guide/compost-and-

digestate-agriculture-good-practice-guide

British Survey of Fertiliser www.gov.uk/government/collections/fertiliser-usage

Practice

Fertiliser security www.protectuk.police.uk/advice-and-

guidance/security/secure-your-fertiliser

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 Useful web sites
www.agindustries.org.uk The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) site with fertiliser
statistics, fertiliser-related publications, the Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS) and other
issues.

www.aglime.org.uk Site of the Agricultural Lime Association with information on liming materials
and a lime calculator.

www.ahdb.org.uk The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board site includes links to the
component sectors (what used to be BPC, BPEX, Dairyco, EBLEX, HDC and HGCA). There is
information on soil management at www.ahdb.org.uk/greatsoils

https://assuredbiosolids.co.uk/ The Biosolids Assurance Scheme provides certification information

and standards for products based on processed waste water.

www.basis-reg.com The BASIS web site holds details of FACTS training courses and allows online
application for cpd points for events.

www.biofertiliser.org.uk/ Certification scheme for anaerobic digestate.

www.biogas-info.co.uk/ Information on all aspects of anaerobic digestion and digestate.

https://bbro.co.uk/ The British Beet Research Organisation commissions and implements research
and technology transfer to improve performance of the British beet sugar industry.

www.daera-ni.gov.uk/ Information from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in

Northern Ireland. For Nitrates Directive-related regulations see www.daera-
ni.gov.uk/articles/nitrates-directive

www.farmingandwaterscotland.org The Farming & Water Scotland site has guidance on regulations
in Scotland that cover diffuse pollution and storage of slurry and silage.

www.fas.scot Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service. Technical Notes are at

www.fas.scot/publications/technical-notes/

www.fertiliser-society.org The International Fertiliser Society site with searchable lists of

conference Proceedings and links to many other fertiliser-related sites.

www.fertilizerseurope.com The Fertilizers Europe (previously EFMA) site has various publications
that can be downloaded on the effective use, storage and handling of fertilisers.

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs The Defra

section holds information, documents and guidance on NVZs, Cross Compliance, fertiliser
regulations, security etc. The search box at www.gov.uk seems to work well in finding items in the
Defra section. Information on organic standards and certification is at www.gov.uk/guidance/organic-
certification-and-standards.

www.netregs.org.uk Guidance on environmental regulations in Northern Ireland and Scotland with

information on agriculture at www.netregs.org.uk/business-sectors/agriculture/ .

www.nsts.org.uk Details of the National Spreader Testing Scheme.

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www.triedandtested.org.uk The Tried & Tested nutrient management plan and Think Manures can
be downloaded from here and there is supporting information like details of laboratories offering soil
analysis.

www.pda.org.uk The Potash Development Association (PDA) site with downloadable documents
including the PDA advisory leaflet series and copies of newsletters.

www.phosphorusplatform.eu Site of the European Phosphorus Platform with information on

phosphorus recycling. Offers free subscription to the SCOPE newsletter that is distributed by email
with information on legislation and research projects related to phosphate.

www.planet4farmers.co.uk Information on PLANET, MANNER-NPK, forthcoming seminars and

other events and downloadable software updates.

www.rothamsted.ac.uk The Rothamsted Research site with details of current research, forthcoming
events and training opportunities. The liming advisory software Rothlime can be downloaded free.

www.gov.scot This site holds the PEPFAA code of good practice and NVZ Guidance for Scotland.
Easiest way to find documents is to enter keywords in the search box

www.sepa.org.uk Scottish Environment Protection Agency site with information on diffuse pollution
at www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/water/diffuse-pollution/diffuse-pollution-in-the-rural-environment.
Information on General Binding Rules is at
www.sepa.org.uk/media/34761/car_a_practical_guide.pdf (see GBR 18).

www.ukso.org UK Soil Observatory with soil, land cover and other static and interactive maps for
the UK.

http://wales.gov.uk NVZ Guidance for Wales is here. Select Environment and climate change then
Water then select from the various NVZ pages.

www.wrap.org.uk WRAP web site has information on use of compost and digestate in agriculture,
horticulture and forestry at https://wrap.org.uk/resources/guide/compost-and-digestate-agriculture-
good-practice-guide.

Dates for the diary

LAMMA

17th and 18th January 2024 at the NEC, Birmingham, BT40 1NT. Details are at
www.lammashow.com.

BeetTech 24

One-day event at two venues: 6th February 2024 at Newmarket Racecourse, Rowley Mile, CB8 0TF
and Thursday 8th February at Belton Woods, near Grantham, NG32 2LN. Details are at
https://bbro.co.uk/events.

©BASIS Registration Ltd 2024 Page 13 of 14

Low Carbon Agriculture

6th and 7th March 2024 at the NAEC, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG. Formerly the Energy and
Rural Business Show. Details are at www.lowcarbonagricultureshow.co.uk.

Grassland UK

The next of these triennial events will be on 24th May 2024 at Bath & West Showground, Shepton
Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN. Details are at www.bathandwest.com/grassland-uk.

Cereals Event

11th and 12th June 2024 at Bygrave Woods at Newnham Farm, Baldock, SG7 5JX. Details will be at
www.cerealsevent.co.uk. There will be a new DirectDriller event adjacent to the main Cereals site.
This will be co-hosted by Direct Driller Magazine and Cereals and will offer a conference
programme covering regenerative agriculture for arable farms. Details are at the Cereals web site.

GLEE

25th to 27th June 2024 at NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT. Details are at www.gleebirmingham.com.

Groundswell

26th and 27th June 2024 at Lannock Manor Farm, Hertfordshire, SG4 7EE. Details are at
https://groundswellag.com.

Many events are recorded for later viewing. There are sets of webinars and videos at:

AHDB https://ahdb.org.uk/webinars

International Fertiliser Society https://fertiliser-society.org/ifs-events (scroll down)

Defra Farm Advisory Service www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/webinars

Scotland Farm Advisory Service www.youtube.com/c/FASScot/playlists

©BASIS Registration Ltd 2024 Page 14 of 14