A farm business from Durham and its farm manager have been fined for polluting a tributary of the River Deerness with digestate from spreading.
High Hedley Hope Farm Limited and its 58-year-old farm manager Cyrus Armstrong pleaded guilty to the offences brought by the Environment Agency at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court last week (June 19).
Armstrong was fined £3,500 and the company £15,500, with both ordered to pay £2,655 in court costs each.
Durham farm business spreading digestate
The farm had been using digestate, a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process where bacteria break down organic matter, such as manure, wastewater or food waste, from the anaerobic plant next to it, as fertiliser.
The court heard that in March 2021, a hose was torn off the spreader and an unknown quantity of digestate was spilled into a river tributary, affecting water quality for around 700m.
It caused dark water with an agricultural smell, dead invertebrates and sewage fungus.
Neither the farm business nor Armstrong reported the spill to the Environment Agency. However, the following week a second pollution into the tributary was reported and attributed to a leaking slurry lagoon, which Armstrong said he was not aware of.
Neil Paisley, agriculture team leader at the Environment Agency in the North East, said this case is a “timely reminder” to follow correct procedures as “land spreading of fertilisers is in full swing”.
“We have permits in place to protect the environment from these activities and will take action against anyone who flouts the law,” he said.
“In this case it has proven costly for the operators.”
Paisley added: “We’re concerned about the lack of awareness amongst some farmers, their advisers and contractors, about the Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) Regulations, despite the fact that these regulations have been around since 1991.
“They are designed to ensure that slurry and dirty water stores, silage clamps and diesel tanks are built or installed in a way which minimises the risk of their contents escaping into the environment and polluting water or land.
“We encourage farmers to engage with us at the earliest opportunity if they are thinking about constructing a new store.”
