The Ministry discussed new requirements for the disposal of animal by-products
On March 17, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food on the topic “On livestock by-products and on amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation”. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan Lenar Garipov.
The head of the Rosselkhoznadzor Department of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilnur Galeev and the head of the Volga-Kama Interregional Department of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources Fayaz Shakirov, heads of the Department of Agriculture and Food in municipal districts, heads of agricultural enterprises also took part in the working meeting.
In his report, Lenar Garipov reported that if the owner decided to work under the new law, then in this case he notifies the Rosselkhoznadzor department. Notifications must be made annually, by January 1 of the following year. Accordingly, for 2024, notification must be submitted by December 31, 2023. The notice for the current year must be submitted by May 1, 2023. To date, more than 40 notifications have been received.
According to the law, by-products can only include manure, bedding and runoff used in agricultural production. By-products can only be handled if the mandatory requirements are met. One of the important points is that the storage of raw, unprocessed by-products is allowed only at specialized sites.
It is important that the operation of such a site does not lead to environmental pollution, including the ingress of pollutants into the aquifer. Overflow is not allowed.
General requirements for the organization of specialized sites for keeping cattle:
- it is forbidden to arrange walking areas or other objects associated with the accumulation of manure near the walls of the dairy farm;
- the manure storage is located on the leeward side at a distance of at least 60 m from the livestock buildings;
- unloading of manure or intake of the liquid fraction should be carried out above (at least 50 cm) the surface of the bottom of the sump.
Temporary placement of processed by-products of the solid fraction in piles on agricultural land is allowed for the period of introducing by-products into the soil no more than 5 months from the date of actual placement. The main methods of processing by-products include aging, composting and processing with the use of special preparations.
Livestock by-products can only be applied to the soil after processing or processing to improve the fertility of agricultural land at a distance of at least 300 meters from the boundaries of residential development.
“So far, penalties for violating the requirements for by-products have not yet been established. But businesses should not relax. The By-Products Act did not establish a transitional period. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the fact that for some time there will be no fines. Enterprises need to use this time for preparation, during the same period they need to correct mistakes, consult with the Rosselkhoznadzor, if necessary, bring their documentation in line with the requirements,” Lenar Garipov emphasized.
At the end of the meeting, farmers asked their questions on a topical issue.