Sheep dip disposal licences to be scrapped in Wales
© Tim Scrivener The ending of waste sheep dip permits in Wales has been slammed by NFU Cymru, which is calling for an immediate reversal to the government’s plans.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) says it will no longer issue new disposal permits in an effort to safeguard Welsh rivers, as increased levels of the toxic chemical diazinon have been detected.
See also: Welsh farmers face massive hike in sheep dip disposal fees
Under the new plans, farmers will instead be required to have waste dip removed by a registered waste carrier and disposed of in a suitable waste facility.
Those with active permits can continue to dispose their used sheep dip to land for the time being, but eventually all waste dip will need to be disposed of via a registered waste carrier.
Where a farmer no longer needs to dispose of waste sheep dip to land, they will be able to surrender their permit for free, rather than pay the current charge of £363.
Question of balance
Nadia De Longhi, head of regulation and permitting for NRW, said: “We’re constantly working to balance the needs of working farms with our duties to safeguard the environment, and this often means gradual change to the way things work.
“Disposing of sheep dip to land has been done for more than 30 years, but we’ve noticed a negative effect accumulating in our rivers that is causing us to fail to meet the standards required to protect the water environment.”
A well as suspending new permits, NRW is encouraging farmers to employ a mobile sheep dip contractor, who can take the waste away for disposal.
Policy reversal
However, NFU Cymru has called for a reversal of the decision, saying that the practice of sheep dipping is integral to maintaining the high health status of the Welsh flock.
“New applications for permits are still available elsewhere in the UK. There must be proper consultation with the industry before moving forward,” said NFU Cymru livestock board chairman Rob Lewis.
“Given that sheep dipping is a key tool in the armoury against sheep scab, there can be no doubt that this will hinder efforts to eradicate the disease.”
NFU Cymru’s rural affairs board chairman Hedd Pugh added that the end point and uneconomic cost of incineration of spent dip make the decision premature.
“Despite considerable efforts, we are nowhere near getting a workable spent dip disposal scheme operational in Wales,” he said.
“For NRW to make this decision now is not only wrong, but totally premature. The cost will be prohibitive to many.”
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The new arrangement follows a previous move by NRW in 2023, when it put the cost of a permit up from £402 to £3,728.
In England, the Environment Agency maintained fees in 2024 at £2,708 for a sheep dip spreading permit.