Pollution Regulations Workshops For Pig And Poultry Producers - UK - Large-scale pig and poultry producers in the West Midlands are being invited to a series of workshops which aim to explain how new pollution regulations will work.

Farms with capacity for more than 40,000 birds, 750 sows or 2,000 finishing pigs will all be affected by the new Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Regulations. Under the new laws, they will need to apply for a PPC Permit to continue operating their site.

But with application fees at £3,331 for the year 2006/07 coupled with annual subsistence fees of up to £2,794, poultry farmers are questioning the level of the fees being charged by the Environment Agency. “As an industry, poultry producers have been involved in relatively few pollution incidents and so it is only natural that these high fees are being questioned,” said NFU environment adviser Sarah Faulkner.

“There have been wide variations in EU member states’ implementation of the IPPC Directive, with similar permits only costing £250 in the Netherlands. “Poultry farmers are concerned that in the UK the cost if implementing the permitting system is out of proportion with the environmental impact of the industry.

“Pig farmers are concerned that this is an unwieldy piece of European legislation. They think the aims are very laudable and are aiming to reduce emissions but as a primary industry the pig sector has nowhere to pass these costs on to. “It is a piece of legislation that is aimed to cover all industries including global chemical plants and unfortunately it seems that is also reflected in the costs of the permits and it is exceptionally expensive for what it is.

“The inflated fees and high costs of the implementation of IPPC could have a global impact on the poultry industry and the NFU is calling for implementation of the directive, which was adopted in 1996, to be delayed until 2009. “This will help to alleviate some of the financial pressure on poultry business at this time.”

The planned workshops are being organised by the Environment Agency with the support of the NFU. Farmers wishing to attend can book their place by calling Ruth Wall at the NFU West Midlands regional office on 01952 400500. Pig or poultry farmers will be able to learn about the application process and what they need to do to obtain a permit, which must be applied for between 1 November 2006 and 31 January 2007.

All workshops take place between 10am and 3pm. Dates and venues are as follows: July 17, Seminar Rooms 1-4, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire; July 18, 7Y Services, Wharton Court, Leominster; July 19, The Crown Hotel, 38 High Street, Stone, Staffordshire; July 20, Ledbury Rugby Club, Ross Road Playing Fields, Ledbury, Herefordshire; July 24, YFC Centre, Hawford, Worcestershire.