The Environment Agency is now in the process of contacting permitted pig and poultry farms via email to inform operators that their permit is due to be reviewed and updated.
To ensure your permit is fully up to date and that you can meet the required techniques, the EA must conduct a review and update your permit. A permit review variation notice has been, or will be sent to the majority of the 1,300 pig and poultry permit holders. The EA is contacting permit holders in tranches, so not everyone will be contacted at the same time.
The EA anticipates that they can mostly use the information they already hold about your farm. The charge for this review will be a variation fee of £380. The NFU lobbied hard during the charges consultation process to bring this down from the original proposal of £2,406.
Further information on the permit review is available on the EA’s citizen space consultations page. This includes an example permit which has the same format as the one that has been /will be received by permit holders.
- The EA will review all BAT conclusions that apply to your farm. The EA will get in touch if it requires additional information from you.
- The EA will contact you to notify you of the expected changes to your permit.
- The EA will issue an updated permit to set these out.
- The EA will then issue an invoice for £380.
Background
The environmental permit requires operators to farm using Best Available Techniques (BAT). BAT is reviewed and updated periodically through the BAT Reference Document (BREF) for the Intensive Rearing of Poultry or Pigs (Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/65/EU).
A new version of the BREF was released in 2017 and this contains a series of BAT conclusions. The EA states that you need to be compliant by 21 February 2021.
The BAT conclusions were published on 21 February 2017. All permitted farms need to be compliant with the new BAT conclusions within four years of this date. The EA believes that by complying with your existing permit requirements, for the most part, you will already be meeting most of the newly revised techniques.
However, there are some additional requirements that apply to all farms, primarily around reporting emissions and in some instances requirements for new housing.
If you are considering building new sheds or facilities, expanding or changing your operation please speak to your site officer to check what the new requirements are.
The Environment Agency will be carrying out the review of all intensive farming permits until late 2020. It will be in contact with a revised permit and further information on any changes or requirements.
If you have any further questions please contact the EA's customer contact centre via 03708 506 506.