The Farmers Mart Aug-Sep 2018 - Issue 58 | Page 55

LIVESTOCK 55
• AUG/SEP 2018
CHARLES Foster, of leading
agriculture insurance broker
Lycetts, has urged that clamps
are checked so that they are
not leaching pollutants into the
ground as the begin to put first cut
silage in the clamp throughout the
summer. This is because effluent
from the silage clamps which gets
into waterways can be highly
destructive to wildlife and eco-
systems, with it being up to 200
times more toxic than untreated
sewage.
Mr. Foster stated: “Silage efflu-
ent is extraordinarily toxic — so
the damage it can cause to water-
course eco-systems is profound.
Once the effluent is in the ground
and reaches a watercourse, it
is very difficult to contain, and
it can find its way into springs,
wells and boreholes and pub-
lic water supplies, which will
require immediate action by an
Environment Agency-approved
contractor.
“Farmers must therefore make
every effort to ensure their
clamps are well maintained, and
that includes all pipes and tanks
as well.”
To help, this article will outline
the rules which have to be consid-
ered by any farmers using silage,
as well as acknowledge who is re-
sponsible and when the Environ-
ment Agency should be notified
about certain procedures…
Making and storing silage
You must follow specific rules
when you are making and storing
silage on a farm. But, you should
take note that these rules don’t
apply when you are just storing
silage temporarily in a contain-
er or trailer for transportation
purposes.
However, if you are planning to
house silage at your farm per-
manently, then be sure to store
it over 10 metres away from any
coastal or inland water source.
Baled silage also shouldn’t be
unwrapped within this perimeter,
with this type of silage required
to be sealed in an impermeable
membrane or bagged too.
Also, important to note is that if
you will be handling field silage,
you must refrain from storing it
within 50 metres of a protected
water supply source. When silage
is stored as field silage, there
mustn’t be any construction
works either and it’s important
that topsoil is not disturbed at any
point of the process.
Any silos that you do use in the
making and storing process must
also be resistant to attack, mean-
ing each should have an imperme-
able base which extends beyond
its walls. This base is also required
to comply with British Standard
8007:1987 and British Standard
8110-1:1997 regulations if made
from concrete, or British Standard
594/EN 13108-4:2006 if a hot-rolled
asphalt design.
There must be impermeable
draining collection channels
found outside of the silo too that
flow freely into an effluent tank.
This ties into another important
point, in that each silo must have
an effluent collection system,
though it is fine to store both
silage effluent and slurry together
should your tank have enough
capacity and have been con-
structed in a manner to withstand
both types of effluent. Just take
note that gases, which are lethal
to both humans and livestock,
can result from mixing slurry, so
silage effluent should never be
placed into an under-floor slurry
store.
Where the Environment
Agency comes in
The Environment Agency is
likely to be in regular contact with
you when making or storing si-
lage. In fact, the organisation must
be notified at least 14 days ahead
of you building a new storage
facility for silage, slurry or agricul-
tural fuel oil. The same timeframe
must be followed should you
make substantial changes to an
existing store of silage, too.
The GOV.UK website holds
details for your local Environment
Agency office, but make sure you
have the following to hand when
you contact them:
• Your name, current address,
phone number and email
address.
• The type of storage facility
that you’re intending to create
or alter.
• The specific location of the
intended storage facility —
provided via an eight-figure
grid reference.
You may also be contacted by
the Environment Agency if they
need to serve a notice to request
that you refrain from using an
unsuitable silage, slurry or agricul-
tural fuel oil storage facility until
it’s been relocated, or its design
improved. This will occur when
the organisation is concerned
that the storage facility is posing a
significant risk of pollution, though
the farmer receiving the notice
will have at least 28 days to carry
out the necessary work — more
time may sometimes be granted
too, such as if planning permission
needs to be sought out or the
weather is unsuitable for work to
be carried out at the time a notice
is delivered.
If you don’t agree with demands
on such a notice, you can chal-
lenge it up to 28 days from the
day after the notice was served.
This appeal must contain a copy
of the notice you’ve been sent,
all related correspondence and
a plan of the farm concerned in
the notice — complete with the
installation as well as all water-
courses and drains. It must also be
made in writing to the Secretary
of State via the below address,
with a copy sent to the Environ-
ment Agency office detailed on
the notice too:
The Secretary of State for the
Environment and Rural Affairs
The Planning Inspectorate
Room 4/19 Eagle Wing
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol BS1 6PN
After appealing, there are three
decisions that could be made:
1. The notice will be altered or
withdrawn.
2. The notice will be upheld,
though extra time will be pro-
vided for you to comply.
3. The notice will be upheld,
though you’ll be provided
with