The NFU highlighted to government the huge issues farmers currently face when they are the victims of fly-tipping on the land, which ranges from industrial-scale offences to household goods being dumped.
Alongside other government departments, Defra heard evidence from the NFU and other representatives that there was a lack of coordination amongst enforcement agencies, including the police, Environment Agency and local authorities.
Commenting on the event, NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts said: “As the NFU laid out in its Rural Crime Report last year, a joined-up approach to rural crime is absolutely key when looking at this blight on our countryside.
“Simple measures such as ensuring there is a dedicated rural police team in each force and a cross-department Government roundtable on rural crime can go a long way to tackling this issue.
“This meeting is an encouraging sign that government departments are willing to sit down and discuss how we can tackle fly-tipping.
“We regularly see incredible results when local partnerships are established, such as the Hertfordshire fly-tipping group the NFU sits on, and the creation of these groups is something we are encouraging.
“If we are to properly solve the issue, we need to see targeted measures that will directly address fly-tipping on farmland. Farmers are the ones left to foot expensive bills to report, clean-up and dispose properly of waste illegally left on their land.”
The NFU continues to press for more assistance for landowners when dealing with fly-tipped waste. One such solution could be an amnesty for waste illegally dumped on a farmer’s land, where farmers disposing of waste are allowed to use their local tip at a reduced rate, or for free. These local solutions are something the NFU is working on regionally.