Do you have groundwater authorisation

The Environment Agency has written to farmers holding a groundwater authorisation to explain the reintroduction of the annual subsistence charges.

The Environment Agency's advice comes as Defra ends its 4-year waiver for the annual charges for these authorisations for farmers. The charges are being reintroduced from April 1 2004 following the expiry of the temporary waiver introduced by the Government in 1999.

The Environment Agency is advising farmers disposing of sheep dip or other pesticides that:

§ A Groundwater Authorisation is required for any disposal into or onto land of used sheep dip or pesticides. For most farms this will mean only one Authorisation, but larger farms with several disposal sites may require several Groundwater Authorisations. If in doubt, please contact your local Environment Agency office.

§ For the majority of farms the annual subsistence charge for the 2004/5 financial year will be £129 for each Authorisation held. Invoices, along with full payment instructions, will be sent in July for the year starting April 1.

§ Under the terms of the recent CAP review, Single Farm Payments (SFP) made under the CAP will be linked to 'cross compliance', which will include compliance with the Groundwater Regulations. Holding an appropriate authorisation could therefore become a factor in relation to the SFP.

· The new Landfill Regulations will prevent mobile sheep dipping or showering contractors taking used sheep dip back onto their own land for disposal unless they can show they have sufficient land to dispose of all the dip received. The Environment Agency expects that in many cases they will not be able to do so and so will no longer be able to dispose of dip away the farm where the dipping or showering of sheep has taken place.

Farmers using mobile contractors who can no longer take used dip off site will need to make alternative arrangements. This may mean that farmers will need to apply for an Authorisation for a suitable area of land on their own farm for the disposal of used dip.

· Farmers who hold Authorisations but who no longer dispose of pesticides or used dip as a result of changes in their business should contact the Environment Agency on 08459 333 111. They will be sent a short form to fill in, requesting that their Authorisation is revoked. This should be returned to us by 30 June 2004 to avoid any charge for the 2004/5 financial year.