Regulatory Decision 061: Storage of waste sheep dip at a place controlled by the producer
This Regulatory Decision (RD) is valid until 30 June 2025 by which time it will be reviewed. You should check back at that time to ensure the RD is still valid.
NRW can withdraw or amend this RD before the review date if we consider it necessary. This includes where the activities that this RD relates to have not changed.
Regulatory Decision
This RD applies to the storage of waste sheep dip (waste code 02 01 09) at a place controlled by the producer of the waste, pending collection for treatment, recovery, or disposal.
Agricultural contractors often carry out sheep dipping on behalf of farmers. The waste dip generated can be taken away for recovery or disposal and stored by the producer under Non-Waste Framework Directive Exemption 3 (NWFD3). A contractor is the person/s that produced the spent dip as part of carrying out the sheep dipping activities on farms, and they are considered the producer of the waste.
NWFD3 allows a waste producer to store liquid waste, but is limited to 1,000 litres. As a result, a contractor will usually need an environmental permit for a waste operation to store more than 1,000 litres of liquid waste. However, if you comply with the conditions in this RD, you do not need an environmental permit for a waste operation for this activity.
This RD does not apply to any other activity, even if it is under the same legislation. You may still need other permits or licences for other activities you carry out.
Conditions you must comply with
You must:
- recover or dispose of the stored spent sheep dip at a suitably permitted waste facility
- only store waste sheep dip (waste code 02 01 09)
- dilute the waste sheep dip for use in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions at the place of use and ensure it is below hazardous waste thresholds
- store waste sheep dip in a bunded area with an impermeable base able to retain 110% of the largest container or 25% of the total volume that could be stored, whichever is greater
- store the waste sheep dip at a secure place that is:
- at least 10 metres from a watercourse
- at least 50 metres from a spring, well or borehole not used to supply water for domestic or food production purposes
- not within a groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 or within 250 metres of any borehole used to supply water for domestic or food production purposes (whichever distance is larger)
You must not:
- store waste sheep dip for longer than 3 months
- store more than 20 cubic metres (20 000 litres) of waste sheep dip at any one time
- dispose of waste sheep dip to land under an EPR groundwater activity permit. It must be transferred to a waste facility for recovery or disposal following storage
Enforcement
This RD does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation when storing waste sheep dip at a place controlled by the producer.
However, NRW will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with the need for an environmental permit if you meet the requirements in this RD.
In addition, your activity must not cause (or be likely to cause) pollution of the environment or harm to human health, and must not:
- cause a risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
- cause a nuisance through noise or odours
- adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest