Using fertilisers made from processed animal by-products on farms
Find out how to store fertiliser made from processed animal by-products (ABPs) on farms and about grazing restrictions after you apply them.
This guide relates to any fertiliser made from processed animal by-products (ABPs).
You can’t use fertilisers made from from processed ABPs as farm animal feed (the fertiliser will contain a marker designed to alert you that it isn’t a feed).
How to store fertiliser made from processed ABPs
You must store the fertiliser away from farm animal feed.
You must stop farm animals from accessing the stored fertiliser.
If the fertiliser is for use in a garden, you must store it in buildings associated with the house or garden. Don’t store it in farm buildings.
If the fertiliser is going to be used on a farm or premises other than your own, you need to apply for approval to store ABPs.
You can’t use the same equipment to handle fertiliser and farm animal feed, unless you thoroughly clean the equipment before using it to handle the feed.
Grazing restrictions after you apply fertiliser made from processed ABPs
To prevent the spread of notifiable animal diseases, after spreading fertiliser made from processed ABPs on your land you must stop:
- pigs from accessing the land for 2 months
- any other farm animal from accessing the land for 21 days
You also can’t use cut or harvested herbage (such as hay, silage or turnips) from the land where the fertiliser was applied, as feed for:
- pigs for 2 months
- any other farmed animals for 21 days
Unprocessed ABPs that can be applied as fertilisers without grazing restrictions
Fertiliser made from the following unprocessed ABP material can be applied to land without grazing restrictions:
- ash and some eggshells and shellfish shells
- manure, guano and digestive tract content (except for digestive tract content separated from the digestive tract)
- milk (as long as it’s spread at the farm where it was produced)
For digestive tract content separated from the digestive tract, grazing restrictions are the same as for fertilisers made from processed ABPs (pigs can’t access the land or be fed herbage from it for 2 months, other animals for 21 days.)
For milk or milk products spread on land other than the farm where they were produced, grazing restrictions are also the same, except the waiting period for pigs is the same as for other farmed animals (21 days).
Additional restrictions at times of high risk
If necessary to control disease risk (eg during an outbreak of a notifiable animal disease, like foot and mouth) further restrictions may be introduced on the spreading on land of ABPs and fertilisers.
What records you need to keep when applying fertiliser made from processed ABPs
If you apply fertiliser made from processed ABPs to a farm where farmed animals are kept, you must keep records of the following:
- the date of any application of fertiliser
- where on your land the fertiliser was applied
- how much fertiliser was applied
- the date when you allowed farmed animals other than pigs to start grazing on the land again
- the date when you allowed pigs to start grazing on the land again
- the date you started using herbage from the land as feed for farm animals other than pigs
- the date you started using herbage from the land as feed for pigs
Permitting and registration requirements
You don’t need to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to apply fertiliser made from processed ABPs, as long as you’re using it on your own farm or premises.
You may need an Environment Agency (EA) permit or exemption. Contact the EA customer contact centre if you have queries about EA permitting.
Updates to this page
Published 23 September 2014Last updated 9 October 2014 + show all updates
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AHVLA documents have been re-assigned to the new Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
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AHVLA documents have been re-assigned to the new Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
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First published.