AGRICULTURAL WASTE MANAGEMENT - CHANGES ON THE HORIZON

摘要

The agricultural sector is facing many changes and challenges, including new regulations that will require a significant shift in the way farm wastes are handled and create an increased need for waste management services in the sector, as Dave Lerpiniere explains. Until now, the agricultural sector has been exempt from the waste regulatory controls that affect other industries. In effect, provided that they do not infringe any other legislation, such as the Clean Air Act or Water Resources legislation, it is legal for farmers to burn, bury or tip wastes on their own land without a licence or registered exemption. This is because, when the Government implemented the EU Framework Directive on Waste in 1994, agriculture was excluded from controlled waste legislation. However, the situation is set to change. In order to fully implement the Directive, and avoid heavy fines from the European Commission, DEFRA plans new agricultural waste regulations to extend the controlled waste regime to the agricultural sector. As the regulations are currently drafted, practices such as burning and burial will become illegal, and farmers will effectively have to choose one of three options: 1) Transfer their wastes to a waste contractor 2) Return waste materials to agricultural suppliers 3) Dispose of their wastes under licence.