Agricultural waste management

It is likely that you will need to register some exemptions so you can carry out your day-to-day business. There are over 50 exemptions available. The following exemptions are most common for farmers, and may be relevant to you if you:

• store non-liquid waste not at the place where it was produced
• store waste at the place where it was produced
• use waste beneficially, eg for landspreading
• chip, shred, cut or pulverise waste at the place where it was produced
• burn untreated wood and plant matter in the open
• deposit plant tissue on land to allow it to rot down, eg crop waste from handling, grading and storage
• compost
• burn animal carcasses in an incinerator
• landspread waste milk on farms
• landspread waste, such a paper sludge, for agricultural benefit or ecological improvement
• landspread waste livestock manure, slurry and effluent on another farm for agricultural benefit
• dispose of non-hazardous pesticide washings in a lined biobed
• mix ash from incinerated pig and poultry carcasses with manure and spread it to agricultural land
• spread dredgings from farm ditches to agricultural land.

There are 29 exemptions that may apply to agricultural activities involving waste. The Environment Agency's agricultural waste exemptions pack summarises and gives the limitations of each exemption and provides examples of agricultural activities which might be relevant to that exemption. Call 0845 603 3113 to receive a copy.