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Farm Waste Regulations

The Waste Management Licensing (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 came into force in England on 15 May 2006, bringing farm-derived wastes into line with other industries. These regulations were then included under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

The regulations were introduced to satisfy the EU Waste Framework Directive and Groundwater Directive. Wastes from agricultural premises, previously excluded from the definition of ‘controlled waste’ are now regulated in the same way as other industries.

The key issues are:

Burying waste and using farm dumps and tips is prohibited unless a Waste Management Licence has been obtained. All existing tips should have ceased operation from 15 May 2006.
Burning non-natural waste is prohibited, including burning plastic wrap, feed bags etc.
Wastes can be stored on farm for a period of up to 12 months. Non-hazardous wastes can be stored for up to 3 years for recycling or recovery.
Waste has to be transferred to an authorised site or contractor for disposal or recycling. Duty of Care applies. Transfer notes must be issued for each hand-over of waste. Records must be kept demonstrating that this has occurred.
Farmers are able to transport waste derived from their own holdings to licensed sites without needing to become a fully registered waste carrier.
All records must be kept for a minimum period of two years.
Producers of Hazardous Waste where the annual quantity of each waste exceeds 500kg have to register with the Environment Agency and notify them of each transfer. Hazardous waste includes waste oil, batteries and building material containing asbestos such as asbestos cement.
Manure and slurry are not regarded as waste if they are spread on land for agricultural benefit and not in excess.

A series of one off exemptions from permitting are available for certain wastes resulting from agricultural activity. Those most applicable to the pig industry are:

Exemption No.	Previous No.	Description
7	-	Spreading waste on land for agricultural benefit e.g. outdoor pig bedding
12	-	Composting biodegradable waste from agricultural premises e.g. outdoor pig beds
15	-	Beneficial use of waste e.g. using old tyres as buffers on loading ramps
28	53	Treating agricultural land by spreading pig ash from a non-SRM incinerator
29	-	Burning waste in an incinerator e.g. pig carcases
30	-	Burning waste plant tissue in the open e.g. outdoor pig bedding
50	40	Storing non-liquid waste produced elsewhere
52	41	Storing waste produced on-farm

Exemptions 50 and 52 are automatic and don’t need registration. The other exemptions can be registered by calling the Environment Agency on 0845 6033113 or by visiting: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/sectors/117286.aspx