Intensive Farming

Poultry

Poultry farming has expanded rapidly in the Wye region in recent years, along with important cash crops such as maize and potatoes. Manure production has also significantly increased in the last 5 years due to the expansion of the poultry sector.

The Environment Agency (EA) are researching what happens to phosphate in poultry manure, and other organic manures in the River Wye and River Lugg SAC catchments. The research examines the link between manure on agricultural land and phosphate entering the rivers from runoff and drainage.



Focus on phosphorus

The EA regulate intensive pig and poultry farms, and operators must apply for an environmental permit from us if they rear poultry intensively. Intensive poultry farms with a capacity of 40,000 poultry places or more require a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The minimum required inspection frequency for all permitted farms is once every three years, though our risk-based approach means the frequency of inspections can be increased.

The EA is working closely with organisations within the food supply chain to produce standardised guidance that focuses on best practice to reduce environmental harm.

We are working with Avara Foods, and various organisations within the food supply chain to find opportunities for nutrient reduction. The aim is to develop, deliver, and share best practice, working across various sectors to put in place measures for reducing nutrients.

A key priority is to develop guidance and minimum standards for the management of manure. This will include guidance on site drainage and slowing run off, the application on nutrients, water resources, and site drainage. This guidance will be used by smaller sites that fall outside of our current regulation.

The EA is engaging with the Courtauld 2030 and the Wye Agri Food Partnership. This is a voluntary initiative, bringing together organisations within the food supply chain including major supermarkets. The Courtauld 2030 commitment, led by WRAP identifies three priority areas for reducing food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable water management.



Learn more about Avara Foods(External link) and Courtauld 2030(External link)


What is the Environment Agency’s role in permitting?

The EA’s decision on whether to grant an environmental permit is separate from the planning process. The planning process is the responsibility of the local planning authority.

A new development will need to have both planning permission and an environmental permit before it can operate. It is possible for a site to be granted planning permission and not granted an environmental permit or vice versa.

Certain activities, that could impact the environment, require an environmental permit to operate. The EA issues these permits to operators that allows them permission to carry out certain types of activities at a specific location with conditions that aim to protect the environment and people’s health. To regulate the permit, the EA perform inspections to check the operator’s compliance and takes enforcement action if the conditions of the permits are not upheld.

Operators must meet the Intensive Farming Requirements(External link) and are subject to inspections(External link).

The EA can refuse a permit application in certain circumstances including if the regulator has reason to believe that the operator is not competent to run the regulated facility in accordance with the permit (see chapter 9 on Operator competence);

The full guidance for refusing a permit can be found in Refusing a Permit section 7 Environmental permitting guidance: Core guidance(External link).


Why are new intensive pig and poultry farms being approved, given the recognition of a phosphate problem in the catchment?

The development of farms and planning are a decision for the local authority. The EA regulates the operations and emissions from these farms.

Careful consideration is made throughout the permit determination process and farm inspections to ensure compliance with the requirements of Best Available Techniques(External link) for the intensive rearing of poultry or pigs.

RePhoKUs: Manure production has significantly increased in the last 5 years due to the rapid expansion of the poultry industry and poultry have now overtaken cattle as the main producer of manure P in the catchment.


For the purposes of a permit assessment/determination, the EA carries out in-combination Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for ammonia where a proposed permitted site lies within five kilometres of a designated site(External link). This process includes consultation with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales where required.

The HRA is limited to the impact of ammonia emissions to air and focuses on livestock housing, any yard areas and associated infrastructure but does not routinely include adjacent land. It does not focus on adjacent land and therefore, the spreading of manures and slurry to land (and the associated potential for water quality impacts) is primarily regulated through other existing regulations (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Regulations and Farming Rules for Water).

Project TARA (Test Approaches to Regulation of Agriculture)


The Environment Agency are:


- Working with the poultry sector to understand the scale of poultry manure production and use in the catchment.

- Working with manure brokers to ensure that manure transferred by them from one farm to another is used responsibly.

- Planning to inspect poultry farms that import manure to ensure they are using the manure for the benefit of the soil and crops to be grown on their land.

- Planning to carry out this work in relation to every farm in the River Wye catchment with over 1000 chickens, not only inspecting the permitted sites but also a significant number of farms that are below the 40,000 threshold.

- Working with the anaerobic digestion to understand more about the impact they may have on the environment.

- Carrying out regulatory assessments to ensure compliance with the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution Regulations and the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations. These checks aim to ensure that the nutrients within the poultry manure are being utilised effectively for crop production and do not pose a risk of causing diffuse pollution.



This project is in the very early stages, and we will be releasing our findings.


The EA are engaging with Avara and Noble foods to ensure all suppliers have effective nutrient and soil management plans in place, with tighter controls on the movement and application of poultry manure applications within the Wye catchment.

Poultry

Poultry farming has expanded rapidly in the Wye region in recent years, along with important cash crops such as maize and potatoes. Manure production has also significantly increased in the last 5 years due to the expansion of the poultry sector.

The Environment Agency (EA) are researching what happens to phosphate in poultry manure, and other organic manures in the River Wye and River Lugg SAC catchments. The research examines the link between manure on agricultural land and phosphate entering the rivers from runoff and drainage.



Focus on phosphorus

The EA regulate intensive pig and poultry farms, and operators must apply for an environmental permit from us if they rear poultry intensively. Intensive poultry farms with a capacity of 40,000 poultry places or more require a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The minimum required inspection frequency for all permitted farms is once every three years, though our risk-based approach means the frequency of inspections can be increased.

The EA is working closely with organisations within the food supply chain to produce standardised guidance that focuses on best practice to reduce environmental harm.

We are working with Avara Foods, and various organisations within the food supply chain to find opportunities for nutrient reduction. The aim is to develop, deliver, and share best practice, working across various sectors to put in place measures for reducing nutrients.

A key priority is to develop guidance and minimum standards for the management of manure. This will include guidance on site drainage and slowing run off, the application on nutrients, water resources, and site drainage. This guidance will be used by smaller sites that fall outside of our current regulation.

The EA is engaging with the Courtauld 2030 and the Wye Agri Food Partnership. This is a voluntary initiative, bringing together organisations within the food supply chain including major supermarkets. The Courtauld 2030 commitment, led by WRAP identifies three priority areas for reducing food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable water management.



Learn more about Avara Foods(External link) and Courtauld 2030(External link)


What is the Environment Agency’s role in permitting?

The EA’s decision on whether to grant an environmental permit is separate from the planning process. The planning process is the responsibility of the local planning authority.

A new development will need to have both planning permission and an environmental permit before it can operate. It is possible for a site to be granted planning permission and not granted an environmental permit or vice versa.

Certain activities, that could impact the environment, require an environmental permit to operate. The EA issues these permits to operators that allows them permission to carry out certain types of activities at a specific location with conditions that aim to protect the environment and people’s health. To regulate the permit, the EA perform inspections to check the operator’s compliance and takes enforcement action if the conditions of the permits are not upheld.

Operators must meet the Intensive Farming Requirements(External link) and are subject to inspections(External link).

The EA can refuse a permit application in certain circumstances including if the regulator has reason to believe that the operator is not competent to run the regulated facility in accordance with the permit (see chapter 9 on Operator competence);

The full guidance for refusing a permit can be found in Refusing a Permit section 7 Environmental permitting guidance: Core guidance(External link).


Why are new intensive pig and poultry farms being approved, given the recognition of a phosphate problem in the catchment?

The development of farms and planning are a decision for the local authority. The EA regulates the operations and emissions from these farms.

Careful consideration is made throughout the permit determination process and farm inspections to ensure compliance with the requirements of Best Available Techniques(External link) for the intensive rearing of poultry or pigs.

RePhoKUs: Manure production has significantly increased in the last 5 years due to the rapid expansion of the poultry industry and poultry have now overtaken cattle as the main producer of manure P in the catchment.


For the purposes of a permit assessment/determination, the EA carries out in-combination Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for ammonia where a proposed permitted site lies within five kilometres of a designated site(External link). This process includes consultation with Natural England and Natural Resources Wales where required.

The HRA is limited to the impact of ammonia emissions to air and focuses on livestock housing, any yard areas and associated infrastructure but does not routinely include adjacent land. It does not focus on adjacent land and therefore, the spreading of manures and slurry to land (and the associated potential for water quality impacts) is primarily regulated through other existing regulations (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Regulations and Farming Rules for Water).

Project TARA (Test Approaches to Regulation of Agriculture)


The Environment Agency are:


- Working with the poultry sector to understand the scale of poultry manure production and use in the catchment.

- Working with manure brokers to ensure that manure transferred by them from one farm to another is used responsibly.

- Planning to inspect poultry farms that import manure to ensure they are using the manure for the benefit of the soil and crops to be grown on their land.

- Planning to carry out this work in relation to every farm in the River Wye catchment with over 1000 chickens, not only inspecting the permitted sites but also a significant number of farms that are below the 40,000 threshold.

- Working with the anaerobic digestion to understand more about the impact they may have on the environment.

- Carrying out regulatory assessments to ensure compliance with the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution Regulations and the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations. These checks aim to ensure that the nutrients within the poultry manure are being utilised effectively for crop production and do not pose a risk of causing diffuse pollution.



This project is in the very early stages, and we will be releasing our findings.


The EA are engaging with Avara and Noble foods to ensure all suppliers have effective nutrient and soil management plans in place, with tighter controls on the movement and application of poultry manure applications within the Wye catchment.

Page last updated: 15 Oct 2024, 03:35 PM