NI Water has announced that their farm chemical disposal scheme is now open in the River Derg catchment area in Co Tyrone.
Farmers in the eligible area are encouraged to use this free farm-to-farm collection of unwanted chemicals and pesticides.
The scheme will collect unwanted or out-of-date herbicides, weed-killer, sheep dip, insecticide sprays, rodenticides, fungicide sprays, veterinary medicines and empty containers.
Those that register for the farm chemical disposal scheme will have an NI Water contractor collect these items free of charge from your farmyard on a pre-arranged date and then dispose of safely and confidentially.
Registration for the scheme opens on November 1, 2022 and closes on November 30, 2022. Collection of the chemicals will then commence on January 9, 2023.
To be eligible for the scheme, farmers must live within the Co. Tyrone drinking water catchment area upstream of the Water Treatment Works near Ardstraw.
This includes areas such as Spamount, Castlederg, Killen, Aghyaran and Killeter.
Peter Quinn, NI Water catchment officer commented:
“This scheme is taking place to reduce the risk of dangerous chemicals making their way into watercourses which lead to the River Derg, which is an important drinking water source for the local area.
“We are happy to be working with our contractors, McQuillan Environmental, who will pick up the waste chemicals from your farm and dispose of them safely on our behalf and within all waste management regulations.”
The scheme is also supported by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and David Brown, UFU President said:
“We are happy to support this NI Water venture that helps protect our water sources and I would really encourage farmers in this area to take up the opportunity and register for this free service.
“This is an excellent scheme which will help farmers tidy up their stores and give peace of mind that unwanted chemicals are out of the way and disposed of safely.”