Don’t ‘waste’ your money

NFU urges its horticulture members to comply with new waste regulations or watch their profits go up in smoke

The NFU is asking horticulturists in the North West to attend a meeting that could help them avoid being substantially fined by district councils.

Since May 15 of this year, agriculture has been subject to waste regulations for the first time.

NFU North West's policy adviser for the environment, Helen Little, said : "It's imperative that growers in the region know how these regulations affect them. Many day to day farm activities are exempt from a licensing requirement but how many people are aware of which exemptions they need to register to be compliant?"

Frequently asked questions include:

What can I do with the waste I produce from my pack house?

What can I do with the waste haulm from my crop?

What are the consequences if plastic burnt in my drum incinerator produces black smoke?

Helen will be on hand to answer these questions at the NFU's horticulture waste meeting. This will take place on Thursday 9 November at 7.30pm in the NFU's regional office, Skelmersdale.

"Growers who don't fully understand the rules are already falling foul of these regulations and are being fined heavily," added Helen

"So far, five growers have had to fork out a total of £8,409 to West Lancashire District Council for creating dark smoke whilst burning waste materials on their farm. Therefore I'd appeal to all growers to attend the meeting so that they don't end up seeing their profits going up in smoke."

In addition at the meeting, there will also be a chance for all those attending to meet individuals who are operating local farm waste recycling schemes which are specifically designed to help businesses comply with the requirements.