MMN March 2024 – Renewed Support for Slurry Storage

Nothing says Happy Valentine’s Day like support for slurry storage! Eagle-eyed readers of Milk Manager News will have noticed that it has been some time since the announcement of continued support for slurry storage in 2024. Well on Wednesday 14^th of February, Scottish Government launched the next round of support for slurry storage under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).

The return of the funding will be welcome news for many in the dairy sector as farmers across Scotland prepare themselves for enhanced storage requirements. In the updated guidance for the funding the Rural Payments and Inspections Division reiterate the significance of the new legislation:

“The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 transition period concludes on 1^st of January 2026. From that date all businesses that produce slurry by housed livestock must have sufficient slurry storage capacity to store the total quantity of slurry likely to be produced in 26 weeks by housed pigs or 22 weeks by housed cattle.”

 The support under AECS is aimed at providing a mechanism for farmers to invest in new storage capacity that will bring them up to 6-months’ capacity. This is beyond the 5-month requirement but is reflective of the future-proofing required to deal with the likelihood of increased rainfall and poorer ground conditions from climate change. Importantly, the grant should not be used to facilitate an increase in herd size.

In a lot of ways, the criteria for funding will look very similar to previous rounds of funding, with a requirement to complete the slurry storage calculator provided on the webpage, as well as produce a slurry and nutrient management plan justifying the construction of the additional storage. However, some key differences should be noted for anyone who is interested:

1. Payment rates for creation of storage capacity has increased from £15/m³ to £20/m³, with an additional 10% uplift for farmers and crofters on island communities.
2. Businesses who historically received funding towards slurry under SRDP who are farming outside of an NVZ are now eligible to apply for this new round.
3. If approved, the expectation is that all works must be completed and claimed for by Monday 31^st of March 2025.
4. Farmers will be able to submit interim claims for work undertaken in advance of Monday 31^st March 2025.

However, many of the same rules and requirements remain, perhaps the most important being that this option is not available in areas that are designated as NVZ areas and grant aid is not available for slatted tanks. In addition, due to the transition to the new support framework, this will be the last opportunity to apply for slurry storage support before 2026.

The deadline for applications is Friday 19^th of April 2024 and successful applicants will receive their contracts in May 2024. A full breakdown of the slurry storage guidance is available here: https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/agri-environment-climate-scheme/management-options-and-capital-items/slurry-storage/

alexander.pirie@sac.co.uk; 01292 525036