Manure Storage Notification (Formerly Manure Piling)
Dry manure generated on a farm can, when necessary, be stored in a properly constructed and covered manure pile. According to the Nitrate Decree, justified reasons for piling include technical or hygienic factors.
Storage must adhere to the procedures outlined in the Nitrate Decree, and measures must be taken to prevent any discharge into water bodies. Manure piles should not be placed in flood-prone areas or in groundwater protection zones.
Loading manure from the livestock housing into a vehicle should be done on a compacted base. Manure is piled into one or a few larger piles. Each pile should contain a sufficient amount of manure for at least one hectare of land. Storing manure in separate heaps across the field is considered spreading manure. It is advisable to avoid creating manure piles in the same location each year.
The manure pile should be located in the center of a flat field or on gently sloping land near the upper edge of the field. A layer of mud or peat, at least 15 cm thick, should be spread on the bottom of the constructed pile to capture nutrient runoff. Snow should be removed from the pile location during winter. The manure pile must always be covered either with a cover or with a layer of at least 10 cm of peat or a similar protective material to prevent excessive runoff and evaporation.
In organic farming, the manure compost created in the manure pile on the field during autumn is spread on the soil during the following spring when the ground is thawed. If spreading the compost during the growing season is not possible, the compost pile on the field should be covered with a waterproof cover and spread on the field no later than the following spring.
Required buffer distances for manure piling
- Water bodies and main drainage ditches: 100 m
- Drinking water wells: 100 m
- Field ditches: 5 m
Notification of manure storage in a pile must be submitted to the local environmental protection authority at least 14 days before establishing the pile. The authority may provide necessary instructions or requirements regarding the manure pile. The notification should always include a map indicating the location of the manure pile. The notification form can be found through the following link: Aumausilmoitus. Form is in Finnish. Notifications should be sent to the email address kirjaamo.ympla@rauma.fi.