New waste regulations set to come into force next month will see farmers and growers potentially saving more than £4 million in potential costs.

Following lobbying by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) the changes, agreed in September and due to start on 6 April, mean the government has agreed not to charge farmers for registering everyday waste exemptions.

Originally the government had proposed replacing the exemptions with a system where farmers were charged every three years. But the NFU put pressure on the powers-that-be to get the charges dropped - arguing that such proposals would impose yet more cost burdens on the industry, discouraging recycling and ultimately resulting in farmers sending more waste to landfill.

But the regulations will no longer allow plastic wires entangled on the haulm of glasshouse plants, such as tomatoes, to be burnt. The NFU attained a temporary extension to 2013 on this point - however, there are serious concerns on the financial impact this could have on tomato growers.

A new revised exemption for use of waste in construction will allow farmers to import tarmac road planings for use in farm tracks and should hopefully allow coastal farmers to repair earthen sea walls.

NFU environmental policy adviser Aarun Naik said: “We welcome the government’s decision not to charge farmers for registering everyday waste exemptions.

“The NFU has lobbied hard against these charges as their introduction could have resulted in more than £4m taken out of the farming industry and into the pockets of the Environment Agency each year.

“Recycling and responsible management of waste must not be discouraged by introducing more costs onto industry, especially in the current economic climate.”

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