The Nitrates Action Programme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Made: 11th December 2014

Coming into operation: 1st January 2015

The Department of the Environment and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, being departments designated for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972( in relation to the environment, acting jointly in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by that section and the Department of the Environment in exercise of the powers conferred on it by Article 32 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997( and, in accordance with Article 32(3) of that Order, the Department of the Environment having published a notice indicating the effect of these Regulations and having taken into consideration the representations made to it in accordance with the notice, make the following Regulations.

PART 1 — Preliminary

Citation and commencement

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Purpose of and application of Regulations

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Interpretation

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PART 2 — General

Duty of the controller to prevent water pollution

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Duty of the controller to comply with these Regulations

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Exemptions granted by the Department

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PART 3 — Prevention of water pollution from the application of fertilisers

Periods when the land application of fertiliser is prohibited

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Requirements as to the manner of land application of fertiliser to any agricultural land

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General measures governing the limits on land application of nitrogen fertiliser

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Measures governing the limits on land application of nitrogen fertiliser to grassland

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Measures governing the limits on land application of nitrogen fertiliser to land other than grassland

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Derogation from the measures governing the limits on land application of livestock manure

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Measures governing the limits on land application of organic manures with a high proportion of phosphorus

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PART 4 — Storage requirements

General obligations as to storage facilities for livestock manure and silage effluent

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Obligations as to livestock manure storage capacity on pig and poultry enterprises

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Manner of storage of slurry

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Manner of storage of farmyard manure and location of storage facilities

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Manner of storage of poultry litter and location of storage facilities

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Manner of storage of dirty water

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Calculation of livestock manure storage capacity

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Making and storage of silage

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PART 5 — Measures relating to land management

Cover in winter

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Crop management

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Crop management for derogated holdings

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PART 6 — Record keeping and compliance monitoring

Type of records required

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Duty of the controller not to provide false or misleading information

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PART 7 — Enforcement

Enforcement

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Notices

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Appeals against notices requiring works etc.

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Offences

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Penalties

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PART 8 — Powers, duties and functions of the Departments

Reporting

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Reviewing

33

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PART 9 — Miscellaneous

Transitional provisions

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Consequential amendments

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Revocations

36

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SCHEDULE 1 — Criteria for nutrient management

Livestock type	Nitrogen (N) produced per head per year (kg N/yr)	Phosphorus (P) produced per head per year (kg P/yr)
Cattle	Cattle	Cattle
Dairy cow	91	17
Dairy heifer (over 2 years)	54	10
Dairy heifer (1-2 years)	47	7.9
Beef suckler cow (over 2 years)	54	10
Breeding bull	54	10
Cattle (over 2 years)	54	10
Cattle (1-2 years)	47	7.9
Bull beef (0-13 months)	30	7.5
Bull beef (6-13 months)	23	5.8
Calf (0-1 year)	19	4.7
Calf (0-6 months)	7.0	1.7
Calf (6-12 months)	12	3.0
Sheep	Sheep	Sheep
Ewe (over 1 year)	9.0	1.0
Ram (over 1 year)	9.0	1.0
Lamb (0-6 months)	1.2	0.3
Lamb (6-12 months)	3.2	0.3
Lamb (0-1 year)	4.4	0.6
Deer	Deer	Deer
Deer (red) 6 months - 2 years	12	2.0
Deer (red) over 2 years	15	4.0
Deer (fallow) 6 months - 2 years	7.0	1.0
Deer (fallow) over 2 years	13	2.0
Deer (sika) 6 months - 2 years	6.0	1.0
Deer (sika) over 2 years	10	2.0
Horses	Horses	Horses
Horse (over 3 yrs)	50	9.0
Horse (2-3 yrs)	44	8.0
Horse (1-2 yrs)	36	6.0
Horse (under 1 yrs)	25	3.0
Donkey / small pony	30	5.0
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Crop type	Maximum permitted nitrogen (kg N/ha)[^f01008]	Standard yield (t/ha)
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(1) For all crops in the table, an additional 20 kg N /ha is permitted for every tonne that the expected yield exceeds the standard yield. Evidence of this must be demonstrated by overall farm crop yield in any of the previous three years.	(1) For all crops in the table, an additional 20 kg N /ha is permitted for every tonne that the expected yield exceeds the standard yield. Evidence of this must be demonstrated by overall farm crop yield in any of the previous three years.	(1) For all crops in the table, an additional 20 kg N /ha is permitted for every tonne that the expected yield exceeds the standard yield. Evidence of this must be demonstrated by overall farm crop yield in any of the previous three years.
Winter Wheat	220	8.0
Spring Wheat	180	7.0
Winter Barley	170	7.0
Spring Barley	140	5.0
Winter Oats	140	6.0
Spring Oats	110	5.0
Livestock type	Livestock type	Volume of excreta produce per animal per week (m³)[^f01009]
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(1) The standard figures for slurry produced by animals do not include water for cleaning buildings.	(1) The standard figures for slurry produced by animals do not include water for cleaning buildings.	(1) The standard figures for slurry produced by animals do not include water for cleaning buildings.
(2) Values that may change if further research into poultry manure nutrient content is carried out.	(2) Values that may change if further research into poultry manure nutrient content is carried out.	(2) Values that may change if further research into poultry manure nutrient content is carried out.
Cattle	Cattle	Cattle
Dairy cow	Dairy cow	0.37
Suckler cow	Suckler cow	0.23
Cattle (over 2 years)	Cattle (over 2 years)	0.23
Cattle (1 – 2 years)	Cattle (1 – 2 years)	0.18
Calf (6-12 months)	Calf (6-12 months)	0.09
Calf (0-6 months)	Calf (0-6 months)	0.05
Sheep	Sheep	Sheep
Adult ewe / ram	Adult ewe / ram	0.03
Fattening lamb (6-12 months)	Fattening lamb (6-12 months)	0.01
Adults pigs	Adults pigs	Adults pigs
Maiden gilt / boar	Maiden gilt / boar	0.05
Dry/lactating sows and served gilts	Dry/lactating sows and served gilts	0.08
Pigs weaned at 3-4 weeks	Pigs weaned at 3-4 weeks	Pigs weaned at 3-4 weeks
Approximate start weight (kg)	Approximate sale /transfer weight (kg)
6-8	18 (7.5 weeks)	0.01
6-8	35 (11 weeks)	0.03
6-8	105 (23 weeks) (Meal fed)	0.06
6-8	105 (23 weeks) (Liquid fed)	0.08
Growing and finishing pigs	Growing and finishing pigs	Growing and finishing pigs
Approximate start weight (kg)	Approximate sale / transfer weight (kg)
18	35	0.02
35	105 (Meal fed)	0.03
35	105 (Liquid fed)	0.05
Poultry	Poultry	Poultry
1000 laying hens	1000 laying hens	0.81[^f01010]

Regulation 12(7) - Criteria as to calculation of phosphorus balance

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SCHEDULE 2 — Requirements for slurry storage systems

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SCHEDULE 3 — Requirements for silos

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SCHEDULE 4 — Risk assessment for fertiliser application to steeply sloping land

10

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Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on 11th December 2014

John Speers — A senior officer of the — Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment on 11th December 2014

Dave Foster — A senior officer of the — Department of the Environment

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 2008/301

[^f00002]: 1972 c.68

[^f00003]: S.I. 1997/2778 (N.I. 19)

[^f00004]: OJL 375, 31.12.91, p. 1-8

[^f00005]: 1954 c.33 (N.I.)

[^f00006]: 1949 c.2 (N.I.)

[^f00007]: S.I. 2006/3336 (N.I. 21)

[^f00008]: OJL 347, 20.12.13, p. 865-883

[^f00009]: OJL 347, 20.12.13, p. 487-547

[^f00010]: OJL 375, 31.12.91, p. 1-8

[^f00011]: S.I. 1997/2778 (N.I. 19)

[^f00012]: S.R. 2014 No. 308

[^f00013]: S.I. 1999/662 (N.I. 6)

[^f00014]: S.R. 2003 No. 493

[^f00015]: S.R. 1990 No. 245

[^f00016]: S.I. 2006/3336 (N.I. 21)

[^f00017]: OJL 156, 25.6.2003, p. 17–25

[^f00018]: S.R. 2010 No. 411, as amended by S.R. 2011/388 and S.R. 2012/231

[^f00019]: S.R. 2003 No. 319, as amended by S.R. 2006/489 and S.R. 2010/411

[^f00020]: S.R. 2003 No. 493, as amended by S.R. 2006/489 and S.R. 2010/411

[^f00021]: S.R. 2014 No. 291

[^f00022]: S.R. 2011 No. 388

[^f00023]: S.R. 2012 No. 231

[^f00024]: Publication date: 15th April 1993. ISBN 978-0-580-71245-6.

[^f00025]: Publication date: 11th April 1974. ISBN 0-580-08070-6.

[^f00026]: Publication date: 10th June 2003. ISBN 978-0-580-78768-3.

Editorial notes

[^c22292501]: S.I. 2008/301

[^c22292511]: 1972 c.68

[^c22292521]: S.I. 1997/2778 (N.I. 19)