Plans for Increased Sheep Dip Permit Costs Stopped

The Environment Agency announced that it would not be increasing application fees for discarding of sheep dip due to possible negative effects on animal health.

In response to the agency’s survey on proposed costs for water discharges, the sheep industry expressed strong opposition to proposals to raise the application price for distributing sheep dip by 50%.

The NFU underlined that sheep dip is universally acknowledged as a highly efficient method of avoiding scab in their response to the study.

The organisation said that making this remedy less affordable for farmers by imposing exorbitant disposal costs would put the illness at danger of spreading.

The Environment Agency responded by saying it had “listened to these concerns and fully considered the options” and reaffirmed that it will continue its fee of £2,708 per application for the discarding of sheep dips.

Responding to this, NFU Livestock Board chair David Barton stated: “For many sheep farmers, the annual fee and application fees are already far too high and any increase – let alone one of 50% or more for a spreading permit – would have been completely unaffordable.”