Defra to impose muck heap fees

Muck heaps are set to attract new rules and fees of up to £500 per year under new government legislation, which has caught the industry unawares

Equestrian businesses that compost muck to use as fertiliser will have to pay an annual fee of up to £500 under new government legislation. The regulations come into force on 1 July 2005, and have taken the horse industry by surprise.

Manure from privately kept horses is classed as household waste and will be exempt. But manure from businesses — from livery yards to studs and riding schools — is classified as industrial waste, so the way it is kept, treated and disposed of is currently subject to the Waste Management and Licensing Regulations (1994).

One of the stipulations of these regulations is that muck must be taken away by a licensed remover, unless it is composted on site for use as a fertiliser.

From July, annual charges will be imposed on equestrian businesses that compost muck heaps of more than five tonnes. They will have to install impermeable (concrete) pads beneath muck heaps, with sealed drainage — in other words, a holding tank for liquid that runs off — at a potential further cost of thousands of pounds.

“ Horse manure is potentially harmful to the environment and human health, particularly when stored or spread near water — the nitrates from run-off can render water undrinkable,” said a DEFRA spokesman. “It is therefore important that it is dealt with appropriately and safely.”

The average horse produces nine tonnes of manure a year, so although most larger businesses are likely to have their muck heaps removed regularly, composting is a viable and much-used alternative for smaller yards.

A muck heap of less than five tonnes will not incur a charge, but one of between five and 50 tonnes will cost £252 for the first year and £174 thereafter, while 50-400 tonnes will cost £482 for the first year and £402 each year after that.

The funds will be reinvested back into the Environment Agency, according to DEFRA's spokesman, who added: “There may be exemptions on a case-by-case basis, but individuals will have to speak to their local Environment Agency.”

Duncan Brown, chairman for the Association of British Riding Schools, was unaware of the forthcoming legislation when first contacted by Horse & Hound.

He said: “It will affect riding school proprietors through increased costs. As manure has been spread for as long as land has been farmed, you wonder what the problem is, especially as farmers are being urged to return to organic systems.”

The British Horse Society (BHS) has met with members of DEFRA's horse team to discuss the issue, but was not made properly aware of the new law. It has asked for clarification, and until then did not want to comment.

Tony Williamson, head of DEFRA's horse team, said: “We're working with waste management to ensure this doesn't present a problem for the horse industry.”

Source:- Horse & Hound (28 April, '05)

Muck Heap Update

Source:- May 12, 2005 (Horse & Hound)

Equestrian establishments with muck heaps do not require a waste management licence or a licence exemption unless they are adding other materials to the heap in order to make it into compost

Mucking out is a necessary evil where animals are concerned, and you certainly don't want to have to pay good money for the pleasure of doing it. After the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued the new waste management regulations at the end of March, it looked like horse owners and businesses would have to shell out for their manure heaps. DEFRA clarified today that this is not the case, unless they plan to compost it with other materials.

The new Waste Management Regulations 2005, which come into force on 1 July 2005, reduce the number of activities that are subject to licensing, but also introduce a charge for exemptions. Among the activities that now need to pay for a waste licence exemption is community composting. This sparked fears that muck heaps would require a composting exemption.

DEFRA has now moved to quell the rumours, explaining in a statement that anyone who stores manure where it is produced needs neither a waste management licence nor a licence exemption, with the proviso that manure is intended solely as horse and bedding waste.

“ As long as the heap is simply manure, they don't need to get a licence or an exemption. If you add other waste material to it, then you do,” said a spokesman.

The British Horse Society, which had raised concerns when the waste licensing Regulations was first announced, welcomed DEFRA's statement. “We are pleased that DEFRA has now provided clarification on the implications of the regulations.

“ The key points appear to be that the new regulations apply only to businesses, not individual horse owners; the storage of waste pending collection will not entail a charge; but collecting and storing waste for the purpose of producing compost may attract a charge,” said BHS's Chief Executive Graham Cory.

“ It appears — and we are checking this with Defra — that there must be an intention to turn the waste, by appropriate management, into compost for commercial purposes. Simply stacking up waste in a way that will inevitably lead to biodegrading, i.e. composting, will not amount to composting for the purposes of the Regulations.”

DEFRA confirmed that the new regulations apply to establishments — from businesses and companies to charities or clubs, but not private individuals — which are mixing manure with other materials to make compost. “Adding other waste products to manure to treat it or to make compost may require registration of an exemption from the need for a waste management licence or a waste management licence because this activity is classified as composting,” they said in a statement.

The charge levied when registering a composting exemption, which ranges from £252 to £482 for the first year, goes towards recovering the regulation costs “to ensure that such treatment is carried out in an environmentally sound manner.” People who register for an exemption will also need to carry out the composting on an impermeable pavement with sealed drainage to help safeguard the environment.

DEFRA also pointed out that undertakings which are spreading manure to land still need to get a waste licence, as required by the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. However, this may soon change.

“ DEFRA and the [Environment] Agency believe that the land spreading of manure may in future be eligible for an exemption from waste management licensing which would be a less onerous form of regulations than a licence,” they wrote in a statement. “DEFRA will consider this issue further with representatives of the horse industry as part of a forthcoming review of waste management licensing exemptions.”