If you keep, treat or dispose of waste you must have an environmental permit or exemption in England and Wales, or a waste management licence or exemption in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
You may need to register an exemption with your environmental regulator from:
- environmental permitting if you carry out an exempt waste operation in England and Wales
- waste management licensing if you carry out an exempt waste management activity in Northern Ireland or Scotland.
Some exemptions do not need to be registered although you must comply with the exemption’s conditions. For example, in England and Wales you do not need to register an exemption if you carry out a Non-Waste Framework Directive (NWFD) exemption, such as storing waste temporarily in certain cases.
Who needs to register an exemption from environmental permitting?
Activities exempt from waste management licensing
Waste exemptions for agricultural businesses
It is likely that you will need to register some waste exemptions so you can carry out your day-to-day business. There are around 60 waste exemptions available.
Waste operations or activities that farmers carry out, and their exemption references, include:
| |
Exemption reference |
|
Description of exempt waste activity or operation |
England and Wales |
Northern Ireland |
Scotland |
| Burning untreated wood and plant matter in the open |
D7
(previously paragraph 30) |
Paragraph 30 |
Paragraph 30 |
| Incorporating ash from open waste burning into the soil |
U14
(previously paragraph 30) |
Paragraph 30 |
Paragraph 30 |
|
Using waste for a specific purpose, for example using shredded paper, sawdust or wood shavings as animal bedding |
U8
(previously paragraph 15) |
Paragraph 16 |
Paragraph 15 |
|
Storing waste within certain limits and for certain periods of time in a secure place for recycling or recovery |
S2
(previously paragraph 17) |
Paragraph 17 |
Paragraph 17 |
|
Treating waste plant matter or wood by chipping, shredding, cutting or pulverising it |
T6
(previously paragraph 21) |
Paragraph 21 |
Paragraph 21 |
|
Land treatment for agricultural benefit or ecological improvement (on agricultural land) |
Standard permit SCR2010 No.4 or U10 exemption
(previously paragraph 7) |
Paragraph 9 |
Paragraph 7 |
|
Land treatment for agricultural benefit or ecological improvement (on non-agricultural land) |
Standard permit SCR2010 No.4 or U11 exemption
(previously paragraph 7) |
Paragraph 9 |
Paragraph 7 |
|
Storing sewage sludge to be spread on agricultural land |
S3 exemption
(previously paragraph 8) |
Paragraph 10 |
Paragraph 8 |
|
Treating waste pesticide solution or washings in a lined biobed or biofilter |
T32
(previously paragraph 16 and paragraph 52) |
No exemption |
Paragraph 42 |
|
Treating non-hazardous pesticide washings by carbon filtration for disposal |
T29
(previously low risk position 085) |
No exemption |
No exemption |
In England and Wales if you have an existing exemption for these activities, you must:
- re-register an exemption in the new system, if you can meet the conditions of the new exemption, or
- apply for a new standard permit.
Farmers with exemptions for managing agricultural waste on agricultural land have until 1 October 2013 to re-register under the new system. You can register exemptions in the new system at any time.
If you are importing non-agricultural waste onto your farm there are different dates when you have to either register exemptions in the new system or apply for a standard permit.
See the Environment Agency’s transitional provisions table for the dates when you must have a new standard permit or exemption.
Environment Agency: Transitional provisions for environmental permitting and exemptions (Adobe PDF - 62KB)
Environment Agency: Table of key dates for farmers under the new exemptions system (Adobe PDF - 11KB)
For exemptions registered after 6 April 2010 in England and Wales, you must renew your exemption with the Environment Agency every three years.
Further information on waste exemptions for agriculture
Who needs to register an exemption?
Waste management licensing exemptions
What happened to your old permit, licence or exemption?
Your environmental regulator provides more details about exemptions for agricultural waste.
NIEA: Activities exempt from waste management licensing
Environment Agency: Agricultural waste regulations
Environment Agency: Register your waste exemption
SEPA: Activities exempt from waste management licensing
