The Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations were introduced in April 2018 - known as the Farming Rules for Water (FRfW). These placed key aspects of the Code of Good Practice for water into regulation. The purpose was to fulfil obligations on diffuse pollution under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). 

The aim is to protect watercourses from nutrients (such as nitrate and phosphorus) through soil testing, proactive nutrient management planning and reference to professional skills/advice, as required. 

Defra purposefully created the rules to complement existing Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations (which determined storage requirements and maximum nitrogen rates), Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) regulations (to control point source losses) and to introduce a new collaborative approach to compliance.

Full guidance of the regulation and associated rules can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-farming-rules-for-water

There are eight rules, five on managing fertilisers & manures and three on managing soils.

More specifically the rule in question (RULE 1) states: 

1a) Application to cultivated land must be planned in advance to meet soil and crop needs and not exceed these levels 1b) Planning must take into account where there is a significant risk of pollution and the results of testing for Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), pH and N levels in the soil, which must be done at least every 5 years. Soil N levels may be determined by assessing the soil N supply instead of testing the soil.

Compliance with the rules is managed by the Environment Agency (EA) and up until recently the rules have been given little focus by many land managers, this has led to a recent (August 2021) clarification of the interpretation of Rule 1 by the EA. They have confirmed farmers must demonstrate that the timing and quantity of organic manure applied is in accordance with crop and soil need at the time of application. This applies to all types of organic manure, and effectively rules out autumn and winter applications except to a crop that has a nitrogen fertiliser requirement in those seasons (e.g. winter oilseeds and grass to support late season growth in August and September).

For more information and assistance in planning your crop nutrient requirements please contact one of our agronomists