Liquid Digestate Application

[Mounty]

Is there any restrictions on applying this near watercourses and rivers on arable land? This is straight from an AD plant taking in beet and maize, no food waste. Tests I've done on similar digestate reveal minimal nutrient content so guessing there are no issues. Asking for a friend.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Is there any restrictions on applying this near watercourses and rivers on arable land? This is straight from an AD plant taking in beet and maize, no food waste. Tests I've done on similar digestate reveal minimal nutrient content so guessing there are no issues. Asking for a friend.

It's not N, P or K in slurry or digestate that borks watercourses. It's the bugs/materials in it and the biochemical oxygen demand they create. You will have to apply them with the same care as if it was slurry or any other organic manure. Staying away from watercourses/rivers/streams and boreholes, lakes and the like. Just getting a small amount end up in a ditch may bring down fury from the lanyard and clipboard brigade even if the fudging thing is normally dry all year round. Be careful. And no, you can't spread it over or into a hedge- cross compliance but that doesn't seem to stop the red-bull drinking brigade.

 

[Mounty]

Yep, kind of what I was thinking. Not looked it up but 10m away from ditches/watercourses/ponds etc rings a bell and 50m from anything that humans or stock could end up drinking. Reservoirs, boreholes etc.

 

[Speedstar]

Is there any restrictions on applying this near watercourses and rivers on arable land? This is straight from an AD plant taking in beet and maize, no food waste. Tests I've done on similar digestate reveal minimal nutrient content so guessing there are no issues. Asking for a friend.

it is 12 meters form the water course

 

[deleted user 837354]

Yep, kind of what I was thinking. Not looked it up but 10m away from ditches/watercourses/ponds etc rings a bell and 50m from anything that humans or stock could end up drinking. Reservoirs, boreholes etc.

I would check as I can't remember the details but yeah, essentially follow the rules as best you can and you should be fine.

 

[thorpe]

Is there any restrictions on applying this near watercourses and rivers on arable land? This is straight from an AD plant taking in beet and maize, no food waste. Tests I've done on similar digestate reveal minimal nutrient content so guessing there are no issues. Asking for a friend.

are you saying digetatate has no value?

 

[Mounty]

are you saying digetatate has no value?

Not as such, largely because application rates are quite high, but sub 4kg/tonne of N, P, K on a recent analysis.

 

[Mounty]

it is 12 meters form the water course

I thought it was 10m and a couple of things I'd read said 10 but maybe out of date. He's a non farming landowner and he doesn't want contractor to get it wrong so was just trying to double check. I think contractor knows the rules tbh but he doesn't and asked for a second opinion.