Rural Payments and Services

The aim of this item is to improve water quality and help mitigate climate change by ensuring sufficient slurry storage capacity is available on a farm for the equivalent livestock units.

This will allow the plant nutrients within the slurry to be used more efficiently and reduce the need for inorganic fertilisers, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for the leaching of nutrients to water.

For 2016, funding is only available for businesses that occupy land / steadings within the newly designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in the Stranraer Lowlands and the Finavon extension to the Strathmore and Fife Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.

The additional slurry storage must be approved for grant funding by 1 January, 2017 and the storage must be in place by 31 December, 2017.

This item must not be used to increase slurry storage capacity to accommodate an increase in livestock numbers:

• the holding must currently have livestock on a slurry-based system
• the holding must not have received Scottish Rural Development Programme funding for slurry storage in the 2007–2013 Scottish Rural Development Programme

Applicants must prepare a farm waste management plan / storage calculation and a drainage plan for the steading in accordance with the supporting guidance for this item. This should identify the additional storage capacity that is required in order to provide six months slurry storage, including identifying any actions that are required to minimise the production of dirty water.

• new or enlarged slurry storage facilities must meet the building design requirements of Schedule 2 of The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003, as amended and be approved by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• steps must be taken to avoid unnecessarily collecting clean water within the slurry storage facilities, as demonstrated via the steading drainage plan
• where funding is used to replace an existing store which has been built prior to 1 September, 1991, the old store must be removed
• on completion of the works, a minimum of six months slurry storage capacity must be achieved across the holding. Note: Scottish Rural Development Programme funding cannot be used to create storage capacity beyond six months
• any slurry lagoons must be fenced to protect people and livestock
• any slurry lagoons must be lined with a proprietary liner which meets the requirements of The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations 2003 as amended
• an engineer’s certificate must be obtained from a suitably qualified civil / structural engineer
• building warrants should be obtained where applicable

Payments will be based on the following standard costs:

• £15 per cubic metre capacity created. Funding will be restricted to a maximum 2000 cubic metres of storage
• associated equipment for above-ground storage tanks:
  - base drainage sealed pipe assembly to external discharge including double lockable sluice valves: £1250
  - galvanised ladder and platform: £1100
  - fixed over-rim riser pipe with jetting nozzle and terminal connection: £1900
• tractor-driven slurry pump and associated pipe, assemblies and connections with shaft and mountings: £4000
• below-ground reception tank with cover lid: £235 per cubic metre

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency inspector will check:

• new or enlarged slurry storage facilities meet the building design requirements of Schedule 2 of The Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (Scotland) Regulations 2003 (as amended)
• the volume of the additional storage provided
• any ancillary equipment, such as sluice valves, ladders, reception tanks and slurry pumps
• slurry lagoons are fenced to protect people and livestock
• an engineer’s certificate has been obtained from a qualified civil / structural engineer
• building warrants have been obtained, where applicable

Supporting guidance is available for this item.

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