Defra Dashes Hopes of Grants for NVZ Slurry Stores
19/09/07

The Tenant Farmers Association has been told by DEFRA Secretary of State Hillary Benn not to expect capital grants from the Government to help with the cost of erecting new slurry stores on farms hit by the requirements arising from the proposed measures to be implemented in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

photo courtesy www.storthmachinery.co.uk

Under pressure from the EU, DEFRA is to insist that over a period of time all cattle farmers in NVZ areas will have to have 5 months slurry storage capacity available on their holdings, rising to 6 months capacity for pig and poultry farmers.

TFA National Chairman Reg Haydon said “Very few farms will have this level of storage capacity already. Many tenanted farms, particularly on traditional estates and County Council Smallholding estates, will only have a couple of month’s capacity if that. We are therefore talking about a major investment in fixed equipment; probably averaging some £100,000 to £150,000 per farm. It is unreasonable to expect the farming community to pick that up in full.”

“Ordinarily, where there is a statutory requirement in relation to traditional tenancies, it is a landlord’s responsibility to put in this fixed equipment. However we are very concerned that the capital budgets of landlords will not stretch to the amount of investment that will be required in order for farms to meet the new requirements even over a two, or three year timescale. We are therefore convinced that the Government needs to develop a grant scheme to allow farmers within NVZ areas to provide the storage that will be required by the new arrangements,” said Mr Haydon.

“However, Hillary Benn has told us not to expect capital grants as he would prefer to use public money to ‘stimulate long term producer competitiveness or to encourage more appropriate nutrient management measures’. The bottom line is the sort of investment required to meet these new regulations will force many out of livestock and dairy production and I will be asking the Secretary of State to think again,” said Mr Haydon.

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