16-May-2006 - Farmers
are being reminded by the Environment Agency that
from midnight 14 May they will no longer be able
to tip or burn waste on their land.
Chris Mills, Director, Environment
Agency Wales, said: "From May, new regulations
will come into force advising farmers whether
they can burn, bury or store waste on their farm.
In short, it means they will need to think very
carefully about how they handle their waste and
what they do with it.
"Burning waste that causes
pollution or harm, like plastics, will be outlawed.
Tipping waste on the farm without a landfill permit
will be illegal. Landfill permits are not cheap
and need extensive maintenance as a result it
is unlikely that farmers will wish to apply for
one. We strongly recommend farmers stop putting
waste in their own tips before the regulations
take effect."
Usually any disposal or recovery
of waste requires a waste management licence but
in certain situations there are exceptions to
this general rule. These are known as exemptions
and there are 26 that are relevant for farming.
If farmers plan to take advantage
of one of these exemptions, they need to register
the fact with us. We have produced a comprehensive
exemptions pack to help farmers through this registration
process (available by phoning 0845 603 3113).
Examples of what farmers can
do under exemptions include:
Using waste paper as animal
bedding.
Using tyres on silage clamp.
Clearing mud and debris (dredgings)
from water-courses such as streams and ditches
and depositing it along their banks.
Burning logs and branches
from fallen or chopped down trees. Burning untreated
timber from fence mending. Burning hedge trimmings,
leaves, bark and any other naturallyoccurring
plant matter.
Disposal of plant tissue wastes
such as diseased or spoiled crops on land at the
farm where they are produced e.g. rotten potatoes.
Farmers have 12 months to register
their exemptions. The can do so free of charge
by calling the Environment Agency agricultural
waste helpline on 0845 603 3113.
To make the registration process
as easy as possible the Environment Agency have
introduced a sector by sector timetable for registration.
However, this is only a suggested timetable and
farmers from whichever sector are free to register
at any time until 15 May 2007.
The suggested timetable is as
follows:
June 06: oil seed rape, potatoes,
horticulture, sugar beet
July-Aug 06: beef
Sept-Oct 06: sheep
Oct-Nov 06: dairy
Dec 06-Jan 07: cereals
Feb 07: pigs, broiler hens
Feb-Mar 07: laying hens
In other situations farmers
will have to ensure they get an authorised contractor
in, take their waste themselves to a licensed
or permitted site, or get a waste management licence
or landfill permit. For most farmers obtaining
a landfill permit for their farm tip will not
be viable due to engineering requirements and
costs involved.
These options will cost the
farmer money. It's much better for the farmers
pocket and the environment if the waste isnt
produced in the first place. The Environment Agency
has leaflet to help farmers reduce the amount
of waste they produce and save money.
It's available free by visiting
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/agriculturalwaste
or calling our National Customer Contact Centre
on 0845 6033113.
Farmers may also store their
waste for a year, but it is important that they
store their waste securely and ensure that it
doesnt cause pollution or harm to the environment.
