Waste disposal fears are defused by court ruling
Welcoming the "very good news for farmers", Teagasc pig advisor Gerard McCutcheon said the judgement clarifies a matter that has been the subject of much argument between farmer representatives and regulators for several years in Ireland, and which has also been the subject of some High Court action here.
"The judgement is very significant and equally relevant for all farmers throughout the EU."
"Animal manure may no longer be regarded as 'waste' by any of our regulators so long as it is managed correctly in terms of storage and application to farmlands to fertilise soil and support crop production," said Mr McCutcheon in the Teagasc Pig Newsletter.
The European Court judgement states that the Waste Directive is not relevant to the use of animal manure as fertiliser, irrespective of whether it is used on the farm of origin or any other farm.
The judgement arose in a case brought by the European Commission against Spain in relation to a pig farm.
It included a ruling that Spain was not in breach of the Protection of Groundwater from Dangerous Substances Directive by not requiring a hydrogeological assessment of farmland on which animal manure was used as fertiliser.
According to Mr McCutcheon, this is also very good news for Irish farmers who had been forced by Irish regulators to conduct surveys of their farmlands and accept the depth of soil found as a basis for its suitability for fertilisation with animal manure.
