Every livestock farming enterprise is required to have at least 3 months storage capacity for farmyard manure (manure, slurry, silage effluent). As a general rule this minimum storage capacity is not sufficient to comply with the environmental regulations on the application of farmyard manures (e.g. no application of slurry on frozen or snow-covered ground or of slurry or manure during the dormant season). The Guidelines for Structural Environmental Protection therefore detail a minimum storage period of 5 months in lowland areas, as is already the case in the cantons of Aargau and Schaffhausen, for example. The cantonal authorities can also specify a different minimum storage capacity for specific farms - based on various factors such as climatic region and the elevation and exposure of the farm. If a farm is forced to apply slurry during the dormant season, the existing storage capacity must be reviewed and increased if necessary - unless the out of season application is due to poor slurry management.

The various agricultural installations must be designed, built, operated and controlled in accordance with the current standards and the state of the art. The cantonal authorities have a duty to ensure that the functionality, integrity and capacity of the storage facilities for farmyard manure (manure stores, slurry pits and sumps, slurry pipes etc.) are checked regularly.

The Guidelines for Structural Environmental Protection in Agriculture also regulate other aspects such as the use and treatment of different wastewaters, tower and trench silos, livestock sheds, outdoor runs, stockyards etc.