F ARMERS can save more than £260 by making new applications for Groundwater Authorisations for the disposal of pesticide washings before April 1.

That is the advice from the Voluntary Initiative, with the advent of new Environmental Permits for discharges to groundwater, which are replacing Groundwater Authorisations. The change is due to be introduced by the Environment Agency next month. The application charge for a new Environmental Permit will be £390, which is £266 more than a Groundwater Authorisation.

Farmers wanting to dispose of dilute waste from currently approved pesticide to farmland are required under the Groundwater Regulations to hold an authorisation – shortly to be an Environmental Permit – from the Environment Agency.

To obtain an authorisation, farmers must complete an application form providing details of the planned disposal site and the volumes and types of liquid which require disposal. New applications also need to be accompanied by the application fee.

Existing Groundwater Authorisations will automatically become Environmental Permits on April 1 and all farmers need to do is pay the annual renewal fee. Once an application has been accepted by the Environment Agency, the authorisation permit, while subject to review, is currently open-ended, provided an annual renewal fee of £152.33 (£153.90 from April 1) is paid.

Following a review of the costs associated with processing applications, the Environment Agency is planning to increase the cost for the initial application fee for small volumes of pesticide washings from £124 to £390 from April 1.

"This change has been expected for some time and the NFU has already persuaded the Environment Agency to delay the introduction of this new fee structure for over a year," said NFU groundwater consultant Mike Payne.

"If they have not done so already, farmers wishing to make disposals of pesticides or pesticide washings to land have one last chance to get their application in before the new rates apply."

Philippa Mansfield, of Catchment Sensitive Farming, said: "Poor disposal of pesticide washings can lead to diffuse water pollution so it's important farmers comply with the requirement for a permit and dispose of washings safely."

The application fees and annual renewal fees apply to small volumes of liquid waste.

These are classed as no more than 5,000 litres in any one application and no more than 30,000 litres per annum. This should easily cover most farm's disposal needs.

Where different disposal sites are used, separate applications are needed. Multiple sites may also be suitable for farms with more than 30,000 litres for disposal.

A groundwater permit is also required for disposal of spent sheep dip, although different application forms need to be completed.