Agricultural Waste Regulations

If you run a large commercial stable, it is possible that you have been paying quite a lot of money for the removal of your horse waste. Now it is going to get worse.

The new agricultural waste regulations (that came into force on the 1st November 2007) require that all such wastes need to be pre-treated before being disposed of to land.

Whilst a recent court ruling means that spreading manure on land is not a waste management activity – even if it is on someone else’s land – the new rules on Nitrate Sensitive Zones are going to cause some headaches that we might be able to help you cure.

A national Problem

New rules (expected in Spring 2008) are expected to reduce the limit of manure spread on land to just 170kg per hectare in the newly expanded Nitrate Sensitive Zones. In England, that means more or less everywhere except Dartmoor. Records will have to be kept and maintained for five years.

The problem is that with 90 million tonnes of material available (an Environment Agency estimate) Britain will have enough manure to cover 33 million square miles.

Unfortunately, the UK has only 93,000 square miles and England a more 50,301 square miles, so as a nation, we need a new solution. Otherwise, if you run a large farm or stable, and are forced to follow established commercial disposal routes you too are likely to be paying too much for the removal of your waste.