Muck heap emptying - new rules

[Marigold4]

Apparently from next spring farmers can't spread horse muck on fields so no one is going to be willing to empty muck heaps anymore. Something to do with preventing contamination of water sources? These are new Environmental Protection rules. Anyone know anymore about this and what to do with the muck instead?

 

[FestiveG]

Apparently from next spring farmers can't spread horse muck on fields so no one is going to be willing to empty muck heaps anymore. Something to do with preventing contamination of water sources? These are new Environmental Protection rules. Anyone know anymore about this and what to do with the muck instead?

Can you put a link to the new rules?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Can you put a link to the new rules?

Echoing this ^

Not heard of it via my dairy farmer friend who is pretty up to date

 

[Marigold4]

Don't have a link. Phoned a farmer today to arrange for muck heap to be emptied and this is what he told me.

 

[Marigold4]

Think this might be it

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/environm...try-reacts-to-new-autumn-muck-spreading-rules

 

[SEL]

I think it's Autumn spreading from Google which is why he might not want your heap

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I think this is already the case in Scotland. I now have a skip that a company collects for me when full and they pay for a special licence to compost it. They can't take my poultry waste though as they dont have that licence. They told me that farmers taking horse waste are actually breaking the law (and they are farmers too).

 

[Marigold4]

I think this is already the case in Scotland. I now have a skip that a company collects for me when full and they pay for a special licence to compost it. They can't take my poultry waste though as they dont have that licence. They told me that farmers taking horse waste are actually breaking the law (and they are farmers too).

Do you mind if I ask how much they charge per skip?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

It’s £120, they do have a bit of a trip to me but it’s not cheap. I have limited options for a midden though, couldn’t in the end get anyone to take it and oh is happier with this set up.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Think this might be it

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/environm...try-reacts-to-new-autumn-muck-spreading-rules

Thats goi to make life extremely difficult for even small yards. ?

 

[teapot]

That's mad. Hard enough to get trailers emptied as it is.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I move mine once a year to an unused tiny field on my land and it composts down to nothing. So I guess I'm breaking the law??

 

[Trouper]

Round me (Midlands) local farmers empty cattle winter shed muck onto the fields in huge heaps in Spring and then spread later in the year before sowing. Will be interesting to see if they do this next Spring.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

So how does this impact on the rapidly expanding No Dig gardening movement? I am about to have a load of manure delivered to my market garden area.

 

[ycbm]

I'm not sure how new this regulation is, I think it's more about tightening up on timing and water courses than anything? I'm sure when I moved here 30 years ago it wasn't legal for my horse's muck to be spread by my neighbour on his fields without a licence, but he did it anyway. I'm now extending the bank at the side and back of my arena. I reckon I'll be dead before it takes up so much field that it will bother me!
.

 

[honetpot]

I think probably the farmer can not use it straight away, and does not want the problems of storing it. I pay a grab lorry to take mine away, its £120+VAT a go, but I stack my heap so it's about six months worth.
They are spreading dried sewage around us, to grow crops probably for biofuel, when we need more food crops.
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/autumn-manure-banned.342360/

 

[Parrotperson]

well. that explains why my local farm hurriedly did the muck spreading last month.....

also pretty revolted by the fact that human waste can be spread on fields. I know the rules surrounding this but also know they're not necessarily followed......

 

[rabatsa]

Several places are going to be well stuffed. There is a large commercial compost place just down the road. So far only one farmer has cancelled his 400 tonne order, but he saw a neighbour get some delivered and changed his mind back again.

The compost spot does not have enough storage capacity to keep going if it cannot go out onto farms. The green waste bin wagons for several authorities are emptied there, it could get interesting if they have to be stopped from coming.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Several places are going to be well stuffed. There is a large commercial compost place just down the road. So far only one farmer has cancelled his 400 tonne order, but he saw a neighbour get some delivered and changed his mind back again.

The compost spot does not have enough storage capacity to keep going if it cannot go out onto farms. The green waste bin wagons for several authorities are emptied there, it could get interesting if they have to be stopped from coming.

It's a very ill-thought out policy, with all sorts of ramifiactions which don't seem to have been considered

 

[Reacher]

Not read the link but I assume farmers can still spread their own cow manure so what is the logic ?

ETA I’ve skimmed the link now - so it applies to cow slurry too. That’ll cause farmers (and yards) a lot of problems

 

[Fransurrey]

All a bit insulting when you consider how much untreated sewage waste is released into our rivers and seas.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

All a bit insulting when you consider how much untreated sewage waste is released into our rivers and seas.

Quite!

 

[SEL]

well. that explains why my local farm hurriedly did the muck spreading last month.....

also pretty revolted by the fact that human waste can be spread on fields. I know the rules surrounding this but also know they're not necessarily followed......

I saw muck spreading too and was a bit surprised given how busy they've been doing harvest - understand now.

One of the local farmers spread human waste a few years ago on a hot Friday just before a barbeque weekend. The village was underwhelmed and I think he was threatened with becoming human waste if he did it again - so horse and cows only since!

 

[shortstuff99]

All a bit insulting when you consider how much untreated sewage waste is released into our rivers and seas.

The EA doesn't like that either though.

 

[Chianti]

This is rather ironic given that the govt has just relaxed the rules around treating sewage. Due to the shortage of the necessary chemicals (Brexit bonus!) the govt has told wastewater plants in England they may be able to discharge effluent that has not been fully treated.

 

[J&S]

It's a very ill-thought out policy, with all sorts of ramifiactions which don't seem to have been considered

Par for the course don't you think?

 

[vmac66]

There are 40 plus horses only livery yard. Farmer spread the manure on his fields, nowhere near water.
It's laughable, my husband does event safety kayaking. Last month there was a large swim
on a local river taking place. The day before the event the local water company released sewage into the river. Swimmers were swimming in it the next day.

 

[Zuzan]

The other thing to consider is that horse muck is utterly utterly different to cow muck.. there is much much more undigested fibre in horse muck which slows down the release of nutrients .. I can understand the tightening of regulations etc re cow muck / slurry etc as yes this can be v detrimental to water courses etc but as long as horse dung isn't dumped next to water course there shouldn't be an issue with it.

 

[Fransurrey]

The EA doesn't like that either though.

I'm sure they don't, but water companies legally do it all the time, particularly after heavy rainfall - I'm an open water swimmer and it irks me that I need to check whether I will be swimming in someone else's shit in a wild place. The shortage of chemicals to treat means this will get worse, sadly.

 

[shortstuff99]

I'm sure they don't, but water companies legally do it all the time, particularly after heavy rainfall - I'm an open water swimmer and it irks me that I need to check whether I will be swimming in someone else's shit in a wild place. The shortage of chemicals to treat means this will get worse, sadly.

Yes, I used to to do pollution impact assessments after non consent discharges and some of them were ?.

A lot of the problem is also more housing/larger population but aging small waste works.