Rural groups urge action as fly-tipping leaves farmers footing the bill

Ministers are being told “actions speak louder than words” as pressure mounts to end the fly-tipping injustice affecting rural communities.

Farmers can be forced to pay to clear waste dumped illegally on their own land — and risk prosecution if they fail to remove it.

An alliance of countryside organisations has written to the government urging it to act, saying there is now a clear opportunity to fix what rural groups describe as a broken system.

The letter was sent by a coalition of rural organisations.

With more than 1.26 million incidents recorded in England last year, fly-tipping remains a growing problem across the countryside.

Farmers and landowners are legally responsible for removing dumped waste, despite being victims of the crime. If they fail to act, they can face enforcement action from local authorities.

Organisations say this persists despite many councils failing to pursue offenders, creating what has been described as a “ridiculous” situation where victims are penalised.

The pressure has intensified after peers in the House of Lords last month backed a series of amendments aimed at overhauling the system.

The amendments — including 13 and 21 — would make offenders liable for clean-up costs and damage, while requiring councils to remove waste and recover costs from offenders.

Industry leaders say this would shift responsibility away from victims and improve enforcement by encouraging councils to investigate and prosecute more effectively.

The government acknowledged the issue in its Waste Crime Action Plan published last week. Rural groups are now urging ministers to go further and accept the proposed changes.

Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said the reforms present a key test of the government’s commitment to rural communities.

He said the current system unfairly penalises victims of waste crime, adding that accepting the amendments would help repair relations with the countryside.

However, he warned that previous promises had not gone far enough, saying “actions speak louder than words”.

NFU vice-president Robyn Munt said fly-tipping remains a serious and growing issue, pointing to more than 1.26 million incidents recorded last year.

She said the crime places a “relentless and costly blight” on the countryside, with landowners forced to shoulder the financial burden.

Munt added that it can force farmland out of use, threaten wildlife and place both financial and emotional strain on farmers and growers.

She urged the government to back the proposed changes, warning that unless the system tackles waste crime at its source, the burden on farmers will continue.

Industry leaders also warn that organised crime is increasingly targeting rural areas.

Country Land and Business Association (CLA) president Gavin Lane said farmers and land managers have “had enough”, warning that organised gangs are exploiting under-resourced rural policing.

He said the waste being dumped is often hazardous, including materials such as asbestos and chemicals, posing risks to livestock, crops and the wider environment.

Lane added that stronger penalties are needed, arguing that enforcement must reflect the severity of the crime and act as a deterrent.

The issue has prompted a rare show of unity across environmental and rural organisations.

John Read of Clean Up Britain said the current system is failing, with incidents reaching record levels.

He described it as a “basic injustice” that landowners are expected to pay for removing waste dumped on their property.

Read said the response represents a united front from groups that rarely speak with one voice, adding that responsibility should be placed on offenders rather than victims.

Tim Passmore, chair of the National Rural Crime Network, said rural landowners are “victims of fly tipping, not perpetrators”, and stressed that enforcement should focus on catching criminals.

Campaigners say the government now faces a clear choice — fix the system or leave countryside communities paying the price for crimes committed against them.