The Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015

Closed period for manufactured nitrogen fertiliser

22.—(1) A person must not spread manufactured nitrogen fertiliser on land during the closed period.

(2) The closed period is—

(a) in the case of grassland, the period that begins with 15th September and ends with the following 15th January;

(b) in the case of tillage land, the period that begins with 1st September and ends with the following 15th January.

(3) But a person may spread fertiliser during the closed period on a crop specified in the first column of the table in paragraph (5) if the rate of nitrogen specified in the second column is not exceeded.

(4) A person may spread fertiliser during the closed period on a crop not specified in the table in paragraph (5) if the spreading is in accordance with written advice from a FACTS adviser.

(5) This is the table referred to in paragraphs (3) and (4)—

Crop	Maximum nitrogen rate (kg/hectare)
Winter oilseed rape	30
Asparagus	50
Brassica	100
Grass	80
Over-wintered salad onions	40
Parsley Bulb onions	40 40

(6) In the case of winter oilseed rape, nitrogen must not be spread after 31st October.

(7) In the case of brassica, an additional 50kg of nitrogen per hectare may be spread every four weeks during the closed period up to the date of harvest.

(8) In the case of grass—

(a) nitrogen must not be spread after 31st October, and

(b) a maximum of 40kg of nitrogen per hectare may be spread at any one time.

(9) This regulation does not apply to the spreading of nitrogen fertiliser in a greenhouse.