Worcestershire farms have become increasingly inundated with illegal fly-tipping activity, which NFU county adviser, Emma Hamer, has claimed, warrants a “consistent and coordinated response” from government to tackle the issue.
Hamer spoke on behalf of Worcestershire’s farming community at the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Panel at Worcestershire County Council in recent days, ahead of their upcoming budget which is due to be published on February 13.
During the meeting with county council members, Hamer highlighted the current challenges besetting farmers in the locality, which included the growing incidence of illegal dumping of waste across the county’s countryside.
Fly-tipping
During the televised meeting, Emma Hamer said: “More and more of our farms and countryside spaces are being used as dumping grounds by indiscriminate fly tippers.
“Worcestershire farmers and those across the region tell us they’ve experienced battered old kitchen appliances, sofas and mattresses abandoned on their land, as well as industrial-scale amounts of hazardous and toxic materials such as asbestos.
“Fly-tipping is a constant blot on the landscape and disrupts farm businesses, is a danger to livestock, pollutes the environment and causes an unwanted financial burden on those left with the clear up costs, be it on farmers, landowners or local authorities.
“Waste crime has become more organised and sophisticated across the whole of the UK and it is soul destroying to see your home and workplace used as a dumping ground and the huge damage it causes,” she added.
The NFU is “desperately” appealing to local governments to increase the funding of rural crime policing units as a means of tackling fly-tipping in rural Britain, which will in turn, it predicted, enable farmers to optimise their production capabilities.
Hamer added: “For some time now, the NFU has been making the case to politicians that action is desperately needed. We want to see a consistent and coordinated response across government, including fair funding for rural policing.
“With concerted help and support from government and police forces, working with other stakeholders like the Environment Agency, we can start to crack down on this continual blight on the nation so farmers and growers can concentrate on what we do best – producing home-grown food for people alongside caring for our beautiful great British countryside.”
Worcestershire County Council has issued a reminder warning individuals that fly-tipping remains a “criminal act”, which can be subject to fines of up to £50,000 or five-year imprisonment.
It confirmed that all incidents of fly-tipping will be investigated and offenders will be duly prosecuted “where sufficient evidence is available”.
It also urged witnesses to report instances of fly-tipping to the police immediately, taking note of as much relevant details as possible to help investigating officers with their formal enquiries.
