CASE STUDY: NVZ Regulation and the Future of a Business

Gordon and Haydn James farm in partnership in Bozeat, Northamptonshire. The 400ac farm supports a dairy herd of 130 cows and a flock of 300 sheep and the arable enterprise grows maize and wheat for silage and fodder or commercial sale depending on markets.

Haydn contacted Guy Banham at Samuel Rose in January 2009 for a record-keeping audit to ensure that existing records were being kept in accordance with cross compliance requirements and the new Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) legislation. While the majority of records were up-to-date with a slight modification being made to the disposal of hazardous waste and addition of consignment notes to the file, it was the NVZ regulations that were found to have the biggest effect on the future of the business. A detailed description of the process, advice on the records that need to be kept and a calculation of the slurry storage requirements was carried out by Guy.

As the farm is already in an NVZ the audit showed that, under the new slurry storage rules that require producers to provide enough capacity to store for 5 months between 1 October and 1 March (enforceable in 2012), the capacity would need to be increased by by 206,000 gallons (double the existing facility); this will require significant planning.

Shortly after Guy’s visit and his subsequent written report detailing all of the different records that need to be kept and amendments to existing records in order to be cross compliant, an Environment Agency inspection took place to assess compliance with:

• The Groundwater Regulations 1998
• The Action Programme for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (England and Wales) 1998
• The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989

The inspection went smoothly and the farm passed on all counts. Interestingly, the inspector used Guy’s report as a checklist for the areas of compliance that needed to be covered.

This case is an illustration of the varied skills of the Rural Business Consultants at Samuel Rose, not just sitting at computers doing budgets and filling in forms but using practical experience and knowledge to advise on all aspects of the farming business.

If you require any advice relating to cross compliance or the new NVZ regulations, please contact Guy Banham on 01604 782727.

READ 'Case Study - Consultancy and Planning' >