Spreading certain wastes on agricultural land

This guidance is for farmers that import wastes such as paper sludge and food wastes to spread on their land.

What you must do

If you landspread wastes such as paper sludge, compost, dredging spoil or ash, you may need to register an exemption from waste management licensing.

If you have registered an exemption you must ensure that you do not:

endanger human health or cause pollution to water, air or soil
pose a risk to plants or animals
cause a nuisance, eg noise or odour
adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest.

Permits, exemptions and requirements for landspreading

Landspreading activity	Type of permit or exemption reference
Landspreading activity	Northern Ireland	Scotland
Landspreading sewage sludge on agricultural land Read our guidance on landspreading sewage sludge	Comply with the Sludge Regulations	Comply with the Sludge Regulations
Securely storing sewage sludge to be spread on agricultural land	Paragraph 10 exemption	Paragraph 8 exemption
Landspreading sewage sludge on non-agricultural land	Paragraph 10A exemption	Paragraph 8 exemption
Spreading waste on agricultural land for benefit or ecological improvement	Paragraph 9 exemption	Paragraph 7 exemption
Spreading waste on non-agricultural land for benefit or ecological improvement	Paragraph 9 exemption	Paragraph 7 exemption
Spreading waste for reclamation or improvement of land	Paragraph 11 exemption	Paragraph 9 exemption

Comply with the conditions of your exemptions

To qualify for exemptions from waste management licensing you must comply with other requirements. For example:

you must only spread waste types that are listed in the regulations
you must not exceed the quantities for the specific type of waste you are spreading
you must store waste in a secure place before spreading
you must not spread waste on land that is frozen, waterlogged or covered in snow
your treatment of land may need to benefit wildlife or agriculture.

In Northern Ireland, for a full list of exempt wastes, see Schedule 2, paragraph 9, table 3 of the Waste Management Licensing (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003.

Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

In Scotland, for a full list of exempt wastes, see Appendix 4 of Section 5 of the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code.

Scottish Government: Section 5 of the PEPFAA Code

Nitrate vulnerable zones

In Northern Ireland all farmers must comply with spreading rules under the Nutrient Action Programme.

DAERA: Nutrient Action Programme 2019-2022 Changes and New Measures

In Scotland check if you are in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ). If you are within an NVZ you will need to follow certain rules, such as limiting the amount of organic and inorganic nitrogen fertiliser you use and keeping records.

Scotland: Nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs)

Watch our short videos:

How to protect soil and water on a farm

How to reduce costs on a farm

How to prevent diffuse pollution on a farm

Further information

Codes of good agricultural practice

The codes of good agricultural practice provide more guidance on landspreading waste.

In Northern Ireland, see section 4 of the DARD code of good agricultural practice for water, air and soil.

DAERA: Code of good agricultural practice for the prevention of pollution of water, air and soil

In Scotland, see section 5 of the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code.

Scottish Government: Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA Code) 2005 (Scotland) (Adobe PDF - 1.34MB)

Environmental regulators' web pages on exemptions

DAERA: Activities exempt from waste management licensing

SEPA: Activities exempt from waste management licensing

Environmental News Blog

My Year at NetRegs, A reflection on my time as an intern with the NetRegs team at SEPA. An overview of all the activities and projects I had the opportunity to participate in during my Bright Green Environmental Placement.
A day with Hydrology, SEPA's hydrometry unit is responsible for around 400 gauging stations and 350 rainfall monitoring sites. River gauging stations are important as they allow river levels to be monitored so flood events can be predicted and flood warnings sent out.