Consultation soon on EU waste management rules.

The long-awaited consultation on the inclusion of agricultural waste in the waste management regulations is now promised for next month.

The UK is currently facing heavy daily fines for failing to comply with waste management requirements under the EU Waste Framework Directive.

Some 90pc of farmers are currently disposing of wastes in ways that will not be possible when the regulations bring with them an end to burial and burning of waste on farms.

To ensure UK compliance, Defra will issue a consultation paper detailing its proposals in February. The NFU expects the consultation to include proposals to:

* Introduce controls on the management, handling and transport of agricultural wastes;

* Disallow unregulated burning and burial of synthetic wastes;

* Introduce controls on manure and slurry, where deemed to be waste (generally, this only applies if the manure leaves the farm); and

* Introduce a duty of care in relation to the management of waste.

The controls and options available to farmers are summarised on the Defra website www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/ topics/agwaste.htm. They are expected to take effect in summer 2004.

It is thought that 300,000 tonnes of "non natural" wastes (excluding manures, etc) are produced on farms every year including materials such as waste packaging, silage wraps, metal, tyres, oils and animal health products. Apart from understanding and implementing the regulations, the industry will need to act in a number of ways:

* How can we maximise the economic "take back" of waste by product suppliers to farmers?

* How can we develop an effective recovery scheme for waste plastics?

* How can we stimulate the collection and recovery of wastes currently in long term storage on farms such as scrap metal and tyres?

* How can we remove unused and revoked agrochemicals from farms?

Defra has asked the NFU to arrange a series of open meetings at which ADAS will give presentations and take questions on the proposals.

For North-West members these include: Thursday, 7.30pm, February 12, 2004, The Castle Green Hotel, Castle Green Lane, Kendal, Cumbria.