Guidance

Landspreading: benefit statement completed example

Updated 29 July 2024

Applies to England

• Publication for Wales

You can use this benefit statement completed example with the benefit statement template for the type of information the Environment Agency expect to see. You may need to provide further site-specific information where applicable.

1. Qualifications and technical expertise

Name:

Employer details:

Professional qualifications: BSc Agriculture.

FACTS registration number:

Experience: I have worked in the agricultural industry for the past 15 years providing agronomy advice on arable cropping and soil management. For the past 5 years I have worked as a consultant for recycling materials to land.

This deployment application relates to permit number:

2. Waste recovery

I can confirm the deployment is a waste recovery activity based on the information I have supplied in this benefit statement.

This deployment will provide agricultural benefit to the soil and crop. It will:

• meet the crop nutrient requirements
• be beneficial to the physical properties of the soil by providing organic content
• improve the soil water content

3. Waste type

Waste producer name and address:

List of waste (LoW) code: 02 02 01 – SR2010 No 4 Table 2.2B List B waste.

Waste description: Untreated washwaters and sludges from washing and cleaning from abattoirs, poultry preparation plants, rendering plants or fish preparation plants only.

Additional information

The waste is untreated washwater sludge. It is from washing slaughterhouse buildings containing animal excrement wastes at:

The sludge is collected from washwater settling in the waste producer’s onsite effluent tank.

Manure and slurry from abattoirs are category 2 Animal By-Products Regulation (ABPR) material. They are exempt from the requirement of storage in a designated category 2 ABPR plant. Therefore, handling and storing the waste does not need approval.

4. Waste storage and spreading

Main address of the farm or site:

12-digit grid reference of the place of storage:

The waste will be stored in a sealed mobile field storage tank.

The quantity to be stored at any one time is 100m³ – this is restricted by the size of the mobile tank.

The total quantity to be spread is 2,000 tonnes.

Spreading is by umbilical supplied shallow injection.

The area of receiving land is 10ha on a single area of land.

The place of storage (temporary tank position) and the spreading area are shown on the location map reference number:

Location map [reference number] also shows the sensitive receptors and spreading control areas.

5. Operational details

Storage and spreading

The sealed storage tank will be situated at the top of the field adjacent to the farm access track. This will allow vehicular access without causing unnecessary compaction or rutting to the land. This is shown on the location map [reference number].

The umbilical supplied shallow injection will place the material in the top 10cm of the soil. This will help reduce volatilisation, nutrient loss and odour.

The spread width is approximately 6m.

Machinery will run on the barley stubble to reduce surface damage and compaction caused by the field operations.

There will be no spreading in the areas identified for sub-soiling on the headlands and heavily trafficked areas. This is to prevent run-off. This is shown on location map [reference number].

When and how the waste will be spread

The waste will be spread after the winter barley is harvested and the barley straw is removed. This is usually in July or August.

Cropping details

Current crop is winter barley with an expected yield of 7.5t/ha.

The barley straw will be removed from the field and sold as feed or bedding straw.

The next crop will be winter oilseed rape.

There are no plans to grow sensitive crops in the next rotation.

Other operational details

Other beneficial operational practices include:

• minimal cultivation techniques to sow the winter oilseed rape crop

• compacted soil will be broken up by targeted sub-soiling on the headlands and heavily trafficked areas with direct drilling into the stubble

• stubble will be left to protect the emerging seedlings from both adverse weather and scavenging birds

6. Benefits and nutrients supplied to the land, soil or crop

The benefitting crop is winter-sown oilseed rape.

The expected crop yield is 3.5t/ha (fresh weight) – seed only.

The soil category is a deep silty soil.

The soil is a silt clay loam texture.

The proposed waste stream application rate is 200t/ha.

The waste stream will provide the following benefits, it will:

• meet the crop nutrient requirements as it has moderate levels of nitrogen and smaller amounts of phosphate, potash and sulphur

• be beneficial to the soil physical properties by providing organic content – this will help to improve the soil structure and provide micronutrients

• improve the soil water content by providing moisture to the soil as the field is on a south facing slope and prone to drying

Table 1 shows the nutrient requirement for winter-sown oilseed rape on a silt clay loam with a SNS of 1. The nutrient requirement for the crop is based on RB209.

Table 1. Nutrient requirements for the crop

Nutrient	SNS or index	Nutrient requirement kg/ha
Nitrogen	SNS 1 seed bed	30
Phosphate	Index 1	80
Potash	Index 2 minus	40
Magnesium	Index 3	0
Sulphur	RB209 recommendation 50 to 75	75

The waste stream will provide these total nutrients:

• 150 kg/ha of nitrogen
• 9 kg/ha of phosphate
• 21 kg/ha of potash
• 3 kg/ha of magnesium
• 15 kg/ha of sulphur

The application rate of 200t/ha provides 150kg/ha of nitrogen of which only 20% is readily available to the crop. This provides 30kg/ha of crop available nitrogen in the seed bed for the winter sown oilseed rape.

The waste stream has a total solid content of 2.5%. This will supply 5t/ha of solid material to the soil. It will act in a similar way to the application of farmyard manure, adding an organic conditioner to the soil and as a nutrient reserve. Nutrients held in the solid part will become available to later crops as they are released.

The magnesium index of the soil is 3, which shows that the crop has no additional requirement for it. The waste stream contains minimal quantities of magnesium. This application will supply 3kg magnesium. The projected average crop yield on this farm is 3.2t/ha and average crop off-take is 2.4kg magnesium per tonne. The magnesium supplied in the waste will provide approximately 36% of the crop off-take.

The waste will also provide limited quantities of micronutrients to the soil, including approximately:

• 0.017 kg/ha of boron
• 0.035 kg/ha of manganese
• 0.003 kg/ha of molybdenum
• 0.016 kg/ha of zinc

The waste has been tested for iodine and less than 0.01 mg/kg was detected.

Nutrients held in the solid part will become available to later crops as they are released.

The field is on a south facing slope and prone to drying. The liquid contained in the waste will help to provide moisture in the soil. The direct drilling will also help preserve soil moisture by minimising soil disturbance providing the seeds with ideal germination conditions.

Additional fertilisers, mainly phosphate and potash fertiliser, will be put in bands when drilling. This will address the shortfall from the waste application.

7. Potential negative impacts to the land, soil or crop

Tables 2 and 3 provide summaries of the waste and receiving soil analyses. The full analytical results are included with the deployment application.

Table 2. Summary of the waste analysis

Determinand	Value
Total solids	2.5 %
Conductivity	401 uS/cm
pH	7.2
Biological oxygen demand	190 mg/l
Total nitrogen	0.075 % w/w
Total carbon	0.065 % w/w
Carbon to nitrogen ratio	0.8:1
Ammonium nitrogen	199 mg/kg
Total phosphorus	16.3 mg/kg
Total potassium	71.0 mg/kg
Total magnesium	6.33 mg/kg
Total copper	<0.01 mg/kg
Total zinc	0.078 mg/kg
Total sulphur	12.0 mg/kg
Total calcium	48.7 mg/kg
Total molybdenum	0.014 mg/kg
Total lead	0.011 mg/kg
Total cadmium	0.012 mg/kg
Total mercury	0.05 mg/kg
Total nickel	0.067 mg/kg
Total chromium	0.173 mg/kg
Total sodium	22.2 mg/kg
Total arsenic	<0.01 mg/kg
Total selenium	0.011 mg/kg
Fluoride	2.70 mg/kg
Iodine	<0.01 mg/kg

Table 3. Summary of the receiving soil analysis

Determinand	Value
Soil pH	6.5
Soil lime requirement	0.00 t/ha
Available phosphorus (index)	14.2 mg/l (index 1)
Available potassium (index)	148 mg/l (index 2-)
Available magnesium (index)	154 mg/l (index 3)
Total copper	14.2 mg/kg
Total zinc	86.1 mg/kg
Total lead	43.9 mg/kg
Total cadmium	0.52 mg/kg
Total nickel	16.4 mg/kg
Total chromium	23.1 mg/kg
Total mercury	0.03 mg/kg

Table 4. Comparison of the waste and receiving soil analyses with the limit values for PTEs

(total) PTE	Maximum permissible concentration of PTE in soil (mg/kg dry solids) (pH 6.5)	Maximum permissible average annual rate of PTE addition over 10-years (kg/ha)	PTE addition from the application of the waste at 200t/ha (kg/ha)	PTE addition as % of maximum annual rate of addition	Estimated concentration in soil after waste application (mg/kg) (dry matter)	Per cent of maximum permissible concentration in soil after waste application
Arsenic	50	0.7	<0.002	0.29%	15.6	31.2%
Cadmium	3	0.15	0.0024	1.60%	0.52	17.3%
Chromium	400	15	0.0346	0.23%	23.1	5.8%
Copper	135	7.5	>0.002	0.03%	14.2	10.5%
Fluoride	500	20	0.54	2.70%	1.5	0.3%
Lead	300	15	0.0022	0.01%	43.9	14.6%
Mercury	1	0.1	0.01	10.0%	0.03	3.0%
Molybdenum	4	0.2	0.0028	1.40%	1.03	25.8%
Nickel	75	3	0.0134	0.45%	16.4	21.9%
Selenium	3	0.15	0.0022	1.47%	1.44	48.0%
Zinc	200	15	0.0156	0.10%	86.1	43.1%

The waste stream contains traces of PTEs.

The receiving soil currently contains PTEs at concentrations of between 0.3% and 48%.

Using the 200t/ha application rate gives little additional PTEs.

The loading is below the maximum permissible average annual rate for all PTE additions over 10 years.

Applying the waste stream will not exceed any of the maximum permissible concentrations of PTEs in soil.

Other characteristics of the waste are as follows:

• the pH of the waste is 7.2 and the receiving soil is 6.5 so the application of the waste will not cause harm

• the conductivity of the waste is low (401uS/cm) and the level of fats and oils is negligible

• other trace elements are estimated to add less than 0.02% to current soil concentrations – this applies to antimony, barium, beryllium, cobalt, silver, thallium, tin and vanadium

Other potential negative impacts

The site slopes at approximately 5 degrees toward the bottom of the valley where a well-established hedge separates the site from the field through which the river flows. As the waste behaves like a slurry, run-off may pose a risk if not addressed. Section 9 explains how risk will be managed.

Machinery will run on stubble, tyres and tyre pressures will be adjusted to match the soil conditions, spreading direction and load.

Odours from spreading the waste may be an issue. On-field storage uses a sealed tank with lockable valves. The lockable valves will help to avoid vandalism. Section 9 explains how odour will be managed.

8. List the sensitive receptors

The sensitive human receptors are:

• 2 private dwellings within 400m of the receiving land – the occupants may be exposed to odours from spreading operations

• a public right of way which runs east to west along the bank of the river at the south of the receiving land – people using this path may be exposed to odour from spreading and aerosol drift

There are no boreholes, wells, springs or private water supplies within 250m of the waste storage location or receiving land.

The sensitive environmental receptors are the:

• river that runs through the field which is a Site of special scientific interest
• river banks that are designated as a local nature reserve

The sensitive receptors are shown on the location map [reference number].

The area of spreading and the surrounding land is arable so there are no animal receptors.

9. Actions to reduce the impacts on identified sensitive receptors

The following measures will be taken to reduce the impact of the activities on the identified sensitive receptors.

Waste deliveries

Waste deliveries to the mobile tanker will be made daily or twice daily as required. The aim is to empty the storage tank before the end of each working day.

The tanker will be filled through a dedicated pipe with a lockable valve. There is a facility available to drain the transfer pipe before disconnection to prevent spillage.

Spreading

Injecting the waste will reduce the potential for odour from the spreading operation.

The predominant wind direction puts the dwellings up-wind of the operation. This should reduce the risk of odour at the dwellings.

Spreading will only be done when weather conditions are suitable to prevent aerosol drift and odour problems. The machine operator will use a dynamic risk assessment to assess the weather and they will record their decision in their operation day book.

The public right of way crosses below the bottom of the field along the river bank. Spreading will only take place:

• during the week when the public right of way is used less
• in line with the required buffer strips to keep any operations more than 10m from the pathway

The machine operator will be instructed to stop or avoid spreading close to the bottom buffer strip if people are on the adjacent path.

The machinery will run up and down the slope in the areas at the top and bottom of the field assigned for turning. The injection equipment will be lifted before turning at the end of each run.

Machinery turns will be gentle to avoid rutting and wheel slip. There will be no turns in the buffer strips.

Machinery

The umbilical feed pipe will be checked daily for damage. This check and any repairs will be recorded by the machine operator.

All machinery is regularly serviced and spreading equipment is calibrated on an annual basis. Maintenance records and calibration reports for all equipment are available.

Managing run-off

The field slopes down toward the river, the boundary is marked with an established hedge and sheep netting fence. This slope has been identified as a major risk and a catch strip will be placed at the bottom of the field within the 10m no-spread zone. This will be provided by breaking the surface of the stubble with a spring tine cultivator to provide a catch for any run-off that may occur and allow it to percolate into the soil. The injection equipment will be lifted before the machinery reaches the catch strip. The catch strip is shown on the location map [reference number].

The field is not under drained. There will be no spreading in the areas of the field identified for targeted sub-soiling.

Soil depth is more than 40cm over clay subsoil. Infiltration to groundwater is not identified as a high risk.

Emissions to air

Emissions to air post-spreading are not anticipated to cause issue. Spreading will be even and at an application rate designed to allow infiltration without run-off or ponding.

The activities meet the recommendations given in Protecting our water, soil and air.

10. Contingency planning

If it is not possible to accept the waste at the deployment site, the operator will contact the waste producer to stop deliveries.

Machinery is serviced on a regular basis. Replacement field machinery is available and hire vehicles will be used if there are any breakdowns.

Transfer and umbilical pipe failures will be managed by:

• a pressure activated switch on the injector supply pump which cuts off if pressure drops below or rises above optimum operating pressures
• daily inspection of pipes and clamps
• a non-return valve on the mobile tanker input system
• supervision of unloading
• isolation of the tanker if the transfer pipe breaks

There are enough trained staff to cover sickness.

Operations will not take place:

• in heavy rain or if it is forecast within 48 hours
• in high or other unsuitable wind conditions
• in waterlogged, flooded, frozen or snow-covered ground
• when weather conditions are likely to affect operations (a dynamic risk assessment will be done for these events)

11. Compliance with other applicable legislation

The waste is not stored or spread within an NVZ.

I confirm that the benefit statement meets the requirements of the Rules for farmers and land managers to prevent water pollution.