Grassland derogations for livestock manure in nitrate vulnerable zones

You can apply up to 170kg per hectare of nitrogen in livestock manure on your holding in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) in each calendar year.

This includes manure deposited directly by grazing livestock and what you spread. This limit is the loading limit and applies as an average across your holding.

Use this guide to find out how to apply for a derogation to use up to 250kg of nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure.

Check if your farm is in an NVZ

Use the interactive map to find out if any of your land is in an NVZ.

The Environment Agency (EA) regularly updates this tool to show any changes to NVZ designations which may affect your derogation. You should make applications for the derogation on the basis of the interactive map.

Eligibility for a grassland derogation

You can apply for a grassland derogation to use a higher limit of up to 250kg of nitrogen per hectare, if the nitrogen comes from grazing livestock manure.

Grazing livestock are:

• cattle (except for veal calves)
• sheep
• deer
• goats
• horses

You cannot get permission to use more nitrogen from non-grazing livestock (veal calves, pigs or poultry) and must keep within the 170kg per hectare limit.

You must comply with the conditions of a derogation and the NVZ rules if your application is successful.

You can only apply for a derogation if at least 80% of the agricultural area of your holding is grass.

The agricultural area is the part of your holding you use for agricultural purposes. It does not include, for example:

• surface waters
• areas of hardstanding
• buildings or woodland (unless the woodland is used for grazing)
• any land covered by a greenhouse

Grassland derogations for 20242025

You must apply between 95 November and 31 December 20232024 for a grassland derogation in 2024. Applications made in the previous round between 6 June and 4 July 2023 only cover 2023.2025.

To apply you can:

• call 03708 506 506 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)
• email regaware@environment-agency.gov.uk

When you apply, you must give the:

• farm name, address and your County Parish Holding (CPH) number and provide a map showing the location and extent of the land parcels that make up your holding
• agricultural area and grassland area of your farm in hectares on 1 January of the year for which you are applying
• amount of manure nitrogen produced by grazing livestock kept on your farm during the calendar year in kilograms of nitrogen (kgN)
• amount of manure nitrogen produced by grazing livestock you intend to bring onto or send off your farm during the calendar year (kgN)
• total amount of manure nitrogen from grazing livestock on your farm during the calendar year (kgN)
• amount of manure nitrogen produced by non-grazing livestock on your farm during the calendar year (kgN)
• amount of manure nitrogen produced by non-grazing livestock you intend to bring onto or send off your farm during the calendar year (kgN)
• total amount of manure nitrogen from non-grazing livestock on your farm during the calendar year (kgN)

The EA will use these to calculate whether you’re able to stay within the 250kg of nitrogen per hectare limit from grazing livestock.

You can use standard values tables (128 KB) or farm software to do these calculations before you apply.

The EA will assess your application. If you’re eligible, they’ll send you written notification of whether your application has been successful or not.

If your application is successful, you must formally agree to fulfil the conditions of your derogation in writing to the EA.

Reasons why your application may be unsuccessful

The EA will refuse your application if you do not meet the eligibility criteria or do not apply within the specified dates. If refused, the EA expects you to follow the 170kg nitrogen per hectare limit.

The EA are required to carry out a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) if your farm falls within or is near a European site designated under the Habitats Regulations or your farm is within the catchment of a European site that is in unfavourable conservation status due to nutrient pollution.

This will include an appropriate assessment and may involve consultation with Natural England.

If the HRA shows that granting a derogation would have an adverse effect on a European site your application may be refused.

The EA may also refuse to give you a derogation if you had a derogation during a previous year but did not follow all the conditions for that derogation.

How to appeal if your application is refused

You can appeal within 30 days of your application being refused. An independent panel will consider your appeal.

Contact the Defra Helpline or email WaterQualityandAgricultureTeam@defra.gov.uk to find out how to appeal.

Derogation conditions

You must meet all the conditions of your derogation and follow the rules that apply when using nitrogen fertilisers and storing organic manures in NVZs.

If you do not meet the conditions of a derogation for the year it covers:

• the EA may fine you
• you may not be eligible to apply for a derogation in the following year

You will not be allowed to apply more than 170kg of nitrogen per hectare in livestock manure, averaged across your holding, if the EA either:

• withdraws your derogation
• decides you’re ineligible to apply for a derogation the following year

Ploughing grassland if you have a derogation

If you plough grassland where you have a derogation, you must plant one of the following:

• a crop with a high nitrogen demand (for example, grass, potatoes, sugar beet, maize) within 4 weeks from the date of ploughing
• grass within 6 weeks from the date of ploughing

You must not plough temporary grassland on sandy soils between 1 July and 31 December.

You must not plough any area of grass before 16 January if you’ve spread livestock manure on that area in the previous year between:

• 1 September and 31 December on sandy soils
• 15 October and 15 January on all other soils

Crops you cannot grow in rotation with grassland

You must not grow leguminous or other atmospheric nitrogen-fixing plants in your rotation, except:

• grass with less than 50% clover
• legumes under-sown with grass

Create a phosphate plan

You must plan the amount of phosphate fertiliser you put on your land in an NVZ.

You must take the following steps before you use phosphate for the first time in a field where you’re going to plant a crop or have planted a crop:

1. Calculate the amount of phosphate in the soil that’s likely to be available for the crop to use during the growing season.
2. Calculate the amount of phosphate that should be applied to the crop to get the best crops, taking into account the phosphate already available in the soil.
3. Calculate the amount of phosphate from any planned applications of organic manure that’s likely to be available to the crop in the growing season in which you spread it.
4. Calculate the amount of manufactured phosphate fertiliser you will need.

You must also carry out steps 3 and 4 every time you spread manure or fertiliser.

Before you use manure or fertiliser on any crop (including grass) in following growing seasons, you must:

• repeat steps 1 and 2
• plan your fertiliser use for that growing season

For permanent grassland, make your calculations based on the farming year starting on 1 January.

You can use standard values tables (128 KB) to calculate how much nitrogen and phosphate is contained in different types of livestock manure.

Alternatively, you can use the PLANET farm software or the Tried and Tested nutrient management tools.

Sample and analyse your soil: field records

You must sample and analyse the soil at least once every 4 years. This will tell you the amount of phosphorus in the soil that’s likely to be available for the crop to use during the growing season.

You must do this for at least every 5 hectares of your holding that has the same cropping and soil type. To find out how to do this, use either the nutrient management tools from PLANET or the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s Nutrient Management Guide (RB209).

You can use existing soil sampling results if they’re less than 4 years old when your derogation starts. If you have not got sampling data that’s less than 4 years old, you’ll need to sample 75% of your farm area in the first year of your derogation. You then need to sample the remaining 25% of your farm area in the year of your next derogation.

Record keeping

In your fertilisation plan and field records you must record your nitrogen use and any phosphate you use from:

• manufactured fertilisers
• organic manures

You must record how much phosphate and nitrogen any manure contains within one week of bringing it onto your holding.

If you do not know the phosphate content of manure you bring onto your farm, you must analyse or calculate the amount. Record the amount within a week of finding it out.

By 1 March of each year in which you have a derogation, you must have the following information recorded:

• the size of the agricultural area of your holding in hectares (update within one month if this changes)
• the size of the area of grassland for that calendar year in hectares (update within one month if this changes)
• a written description of the livestock housing and manure storage systems you have on your farm, including the volume of the manure storage available
• the numbers and type of livestock you expect to have on your holding during the remaining part of the calendar year
• an estimate of the manure nitrogen and phosphate that your livestock will produce during the current calendar year

Submit your fertilisation account

You must send the EA details about your farming practices and fertiliser use for the period 1 January to 31 December. You must send the details by 30 April in the year following the derogation. This is your fertilisation account.

Your fertilisation account must show the total agricultural area of your derogated holding and the area (in hectares) covered by each of the following crops:

• winter wheat
• spring wheat
• winter barley
• spring barley
• winter oilseed rape
• sugar beet
• potatoes
• forage maize
• grass

You need to show the area covered by other crops (for example, vegetables, lucerne, flowers), but the specific crop does not need to be named.

Your fertilisation plan must also show the:

• number and category of livestock kept on your farm, and the amount of nitrogen and phosphate in the manure they produce (according to the categories in the standard values tables (128 KB))
• amount and type of livestock manure brought on or sent off your farm, together with the total amount of nitrogen and phosphate in that manure
• weight in tonnes and nitrogen content of all manufactured nitrogen fertiliser stocks kept on, brought in or sent off your farm during the calendar year

You can submit your fertilisation account records by email to regaware@environment-agency.gov.uk or by post to:

Inspections

The EA may inspect your farm to make sure you’re meeting conditions of your derogation.

Contact the Farming Advice Service

Contact the Farming Advice Service for more information on using nitrogen fertilisers and manures in NVZs.

Telephone: 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm)

Email: advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk