Letter to the editor: response to SNHS article

Alex Higgins, higher scientific officer, AFBI

Dear Editor: AFBI consider the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS) registration and soil result presentation process to be robust in the protection of sensitive areas.

There is a strong focus on providing detailed advice to ensure improved environmental outcomes across all agricultural field types when implemented. SNHS aims to provide the farmer with as much field specific soil nutritional information as possible in order that informed decisions can be made with reference to the correct agri-environmental and nutrient management of their farm.

The onus is ultimately on the active manager of a particular parcel of land to implement these informed nutrient management plans and manage the land in accordance with any legislative or environmental requirements. During the registration process, a farmer is presented with a comprehensive list of crops/vegetation cover. However, for ease of use, the most common classes are available at the start of the list (grazing, rough grazing, silage etc.). There are notes to aid this selection and if applicants are in any doubt, help is always available at snhs@afbi.gov.uk.

If a field is within a designated site, then no recommendations will be given and no Red/Amber/Green (RAG) colours will be applied to that field.

The RAG visual coding is only applied to those fields which are potentially managed in terms of maximising agricultural production.