Agronomic use of livestock manure and digestate

Livestock effluents, whether solid or liquid (manure, slurry, etc.), and digestatemay be utilised for agricultural purposes through controlled spreading on land used for agricultural purposes. ( agronomic = increased crop yield).

Livestock effluentsorlivestock waste referto all waste produced by a domestic animal farm, comprising solid and liquid excreta (faeces and urine), any solid materials of plant origin used as bedding, drinking and washing water, and unused food scraps.

‘Digestate’refers to the product obtained from on-farm or inter-farm anaerobic digestion plants fed with materials and substances, either alone or in mixture, such as livestock effluent, bedding, agri-food residues, animal by-products, etc.

The use of such products is subject to compliance with national regulations and the provincial provisions set out below. 

Following periodic surface water quality checks carried out by the Provincial Agency for Environmental Protection (APPA) in accordance with current legislation on the subject, in 2021 it became necessary to identify three areas within the Province of Trento that are vulnerable to nitrates of agricultural origin (ZVN), corresponding to the catchment areas of the following water bodies:

- the Moscabio stream in Val di Non;

- Lake Serraia on the Piné Plateau;

- the River Brenta in the stretch between Levico and Borgo Valsugana.

For farms and land falling within these zones, specific provisions must be complied with regarding the agricultural use of livestock manure (solid and liquid manure), digestate produced in anaerobic digestion plants, organic soil improvers and other nitrogen fertilisers, including mineral ones.

In addition to the regulations and restrictions relating to the spreading of these materials on agricultural land, farms located in either the ordinary zone (ZO) or the nitrate-vulnerable zone (ZVN) are required to comply with administrative obligations concerning:

- submission of the notification;

- the submission of the agronomic utilisation plan (PUA);

- keeping a fertilisation register.

Calculation of nitrogen produced on the farm

This figure is required to determine whether the farm is among those required to submit the notification and the PUA.

This refers to the total nitrogen production on the farm (kg) and is calculated by adding together the average annual nitrogen produced by each category of animal on the farm; reference is made to the livestock recorded in the National Database and the coefficients defined in Annex I to Ministerial Decree No. 5046 are applied.

The notification must be submitted by the farm owner/legal representative at least 30 days before the start of utilisation activities and, subject to the provisions regarding the single territorial authorisation (AIA), it must be renewed at least every 5 years from the date of first submission or the date of the last amendment.

To farms that produce and use livestock manure.

Applications must be submitted online via the Integrated Agricultural Information System (A4G)

• either independently or with the assistance of the Agricultural Assistance Centres (CAA)
• at the following address: https:\a4g.provincia.tn.it
• in the ‘Applications – Livestock Manure’ section

Depending on the type of business, the following documentation must be submitted:

The notification must be submitted by the owner or legal representative of the company at least 30 days before the start of operations and, subject to the provisions governing the single territorial authorisation (AIA), must be renewed at least every 5 years from the date of first submission or the date of the last amendment.

 Documents relating to the Action Programme for Areas Vulnerable to Nitrates of Agricultural Origin