FARMERS have been warned they need to start considering the effect of imminent changes to agricultural waste regulations.

The new waste management regulations are expected to come into force shortly as a result of the UK's legal obligation under the EU Waste Framework Directive in the agricultural sector which prohibits the unregulated burying, burning and disposal of any agricultural waste on farms.

Agricultural waste will include tyres, old machinery, farm plastics such as silage wrap, fertiliser bags, batteries and discarded pesticide containers. In future, such waste will need to be dealt with by way of three main methods - through off-farm licensed operators with disposal licences, recycled on-farm under licence or disposed of on-farm under licence. Licences will be issued by the Environment Agency which, along with local authorities, will enforce the new regulations.

Belinda Young, of Savills' rural department, said: "Farmers won't be able to continue using the traditional farm tip for the disposal of any waste or as sites for burning waste. For the majority, this will mean increased costs so they need to consider ways of minimising the amount of waste that they produce on-farm now, before the regulations come into force."

There will be some exemptions, but these will only cover low-risk activities such as composting, the storage of manure for agricultural benefit and any beneficial use of farm waste, such as tyres on silage clamps. Farmers will probably be able to continue using on-farm incinerators to dispose of farm waste for a short transitional period.