Conditions for manure storage and leachate handling (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 243, point 1.4.)

(1) Liquid and solid natural fertilisers shall be stored in an environmentally safe manner preventing leachate from reaching water and land.

(2) Agricultural production entities and entities carrying out activities referred to in Article 102(1) of the Act of 20 July 2017. – Water Law shall ensure the environmentally safe storage of natural fertilisers, produced on the farm or accepted from another farm, for a period during which their agricultural use is not possible. This requires the provision of surface impermeable storage areas for solid natural fertilisers and the capacity of covered, in particular with a flexible cover or floating cover, tanks for liquid natural fertilisers having a sealed bottom and walls.

(3) Where livestock is kept on deep litter, manure may be stored in a livestock building with an impermeable floor.

(4) The capacity of liquid manure storage tanks should be sufficient to store manure for 6 months.

(5) Storage areas for solid manures should be large enough to allow storage for 5 months.

(6) The calculation of the required storage capacity of tanks or surface area of manure storage places shall be preceded by a herd turnover, calculation of livestock throughput in a technology group, and then calculation of annual average stock. The annual average livestock numbers shall be converted to LU (livestock unit). The method of drawing up the herd turnover, calculating the livestock transitory units, and the average annual stock of such animals is set out in Annex 4 to the Programme. The method of calculating the required capacity of tanks and the required area of storage places for natural fertilisers has been specified in annex 5 to the Programme. Where manures produced on the farm are subject to technological processing or transfer, the required capacity of tanks and the required surface area of manure storage places may be reduced accordingly.

(7) Manure may be temporarily, but not longer than for 6 months from the date of establishment of each of the piles, stored directly on agricultural land, whereby:
– the stockpiles shall be located outside the depressions of the land, on as flat an area as possible, with an acceptable slope of up to 3%, in a non-sandy and non-wet location, at a distance of more than 25 m from the shoreline of the surface waters, the sea lane, and water intakes, if a protection zone has not been established under the provisions of the Act of 20 July 2017. – Water Law;
– the location of the pile and the date of manure deposition in a given year on a given parcel shall be marked on a map or sketch of the parcel, which shall be kept for 3 years from the date of completion of manure storage;
– the manure on the pile is again stored in the same place after 3 years from the day the previous manure storage ended.

(8) Bird manure shall not be stored directly on the ground throughout the year.

(9) Silage shall not be stored directly on the ground. In particular, silage shall be kept in silos, foil sleeves, slabs, or on a liner made of foil, chaff, straw, or any other material that absorbs leachate and under a plastic sheet.

(10) Fertilisers and silage shall not be kept within 25 m of:
– wells or water intakes unless a protection zone has been established under the provisions of the Act of 20 July 2017. – Water Law;
– the shoreline of surface waters and the coastal sea strip.

(11) Agricultural production entities and entities carrying out activities referred to in Article 102(1) of the Act of 20 July 2017. – Water Law shall adjust the area or capacity of their natural fertilisers storage places to the requirements set out in the Programme, by:
– 31 December 2021. – in the case of entities keeping or breeding livestock over 210 livestock units (LU), including entities keeping or breeding poultry more than 40,000 stands or keeping or breeding pigs in excess of 2,000 stands for pigs weighing more than 30 kg or 750 stands for sows;
– 31 December 2024 – for operators keeping less than or equal to 210 livestock units.

(12) Contracted natural fertiliser recipients shall, at the time of acceptance of such natural fertilisers, have adequate surface area or capacity for storing them in an environmentally safe manner that prevents leakage of leachate into the water and ground.

(13) Before the expiry of the deadlines referred to in paragraph 11, agricultural production entities and entities carrying out activities referred to in Article 102(1) of the Act of 20 July 2017. – Water Law shall ensure that liquid natural fertilisers are stored in sealed tanks with a storage volume allowing for the collection of at least 4 months’ production of such fertiliser.

(14) Keeping fur animals in cages and cage batteries with an openwork floor shall require the protection of the ground beneath them. Such security shall be provided with an impermeable and solid surface resistant to mechanical damage and designed to prevent leachate from entering the water or soil. Apart from a grazing system with regular alternation of sodded plots, fur-animal cages with openwork floors shall not be placed directly on the ground.

(15) Droppings from carnivorous fur animals shall not be mixed and stored together with waste from the preparation of feed for such animals.