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THE FARM SOILS PLAN<br />
R Audsley<br />
SAC, Auchincruive, Ayr, KA6 5HW, UK, E-mail: Rebecca.Audsley@sac.co.uk<br />
SUMMARY<br />
The Farm Soils Plan (FSP) is a guidance booklet targeted at all farmers across<br />
Scotland. It aims to highlight various soil issues that could benefit both the farm<br />
business and surrounding environment. The FSP will help farmers comply with<br />
GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition) under Cross Compliance<br />
and outlines soil management practices that will help to reduce the risk of diffuse<br />
pollution from farmland. The FSP follows on from the successful ‘4 Point Plan’ (www.<br />
sac.ac.uk/4pp) that helped livestock farmers identify and reduce the risk of diffuse<br />
pollution from agricultural activities.<br />
The FSP contains b<strong>as</strong>ic guidance on a range of topics. It also lists contact addresses<br />
and websites that could act <strong>as</strong> a starting point for farmers looking for further<br />
information about alternative practices or new technologies. The main sections in<br />
the pack include:<br />
• Recognising and rectifying poor soil conditions – highlights some common<br />
problems seen on Scottish soils and suggests possible solutions.<br />
• Reducing soil erosion – minimising soil loss could avoid expensive re-seeds and<br />
remediation work while also protecting surrounding water quality.<br />
• Targeting nutrient application – matching nutrient application to crop demand<br />
and taking account of nutrients from slurry and manure applications can help to<br />
reduce nutrient loss and make better use of bagged fertiliser applications.<br />
• Preventing soil loss and protecting water quality – benefits both the farm business<br />
and the surrounding environment.<br />
• GAEC checklist – non-compliance with GAEC could result in financial penalties<br />
under the Single Farm Payment Scheme.<br />
• Field Notes – a reminder for farmers on how to hand texture soils to indicate<br />
the texture cl<strong>as</strong>s and suggests ways to identify any problems visible in the soil<br />
profile.<br />
During development of the plan, soil specialists and farm advisers were invited<br />
to comment on the document. Once near to completion, a group of farmers w<strong>as</strong><br />
also <strong>as</strong>ked to give comments and suggestions prior to publication. The feedback<br />
from the farmer group suggested that the FSP w<strong>as</strong> a useful guide to identifying soil<br />
problems that may have previously gone unnoticed such <strong>as</strong> over-compaction or the<br />
formation of a plough pan and also provided a useful reminder of general soil issues,<br />
confirming that they are doing the right things.<br />
The FSP is a joint initiative supported by SAC, SEERAD (Scottish Executive<br />
Environment and Rural Affairs Department), SNH (Scottish Natural Heritage), WWF<br />
(Scotland) (funded through HSBC), SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency),<br />
NFU Scotland (National Farmers Union) and FWAG Scotland (Farming and Wildlife<br />
Advisory Group).<br />
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