A crackdown on fly-tipping aims to target criminals illegally dumping waste – but industry leaders say farmers are often still left picking up the clean-up bill.
The NFU said it welcomed renewed efforts from the Environment Agency to target fly-tipping. It will see drones carrying laser mapping technology to create detailed maps of illegal waste sites, capturing evidence to help secure prosecutions.
A new screening tool will see HGV operator licence applications cross-checked against waste permit records. It has already been used to uncover a gang that secretly relocated their HGV operations to evade enforcement.
Defra secretary Emma Reynolds said: “By increasing the Environment Agency’s enforcement budget by over 50% to £15.6m, we’re investing in cutting-edge technology that allows us to shut down illegal operators faster and more effectively.
Police action
“From advanced laser-mapping to drone surveillance and new vehicle-scanning tools, this technology is helping us track, expose and stop waste crime, ensuring those who blight our communities are held to account.”
The Joint Unit for Waste Crime will also see a boost in numbers – the unit brings together police forces and the National Crime Agency, together with Environment Agency enforcement officers to help disrupt waste crime.
An NFU spokesperson said: “Any investment that helps crack down on waste crime is welcome, and the announcement shows real intent. But farmers continue to bear the cost and consequences of fly tipping, and technology alone won’t solve that.
“We need proper coordination between all enforcement bodies, penalties that genuinely deter offenders and a simple, single reporting system so victims aren’t forced to navigate multiple agencies.
Raising public awareness of household waste responsibilities is also essential so that we can collectively stop the issue at source. Farmers are ready to play their part, but we need a system that works with us, not one that leaves us picking up the bill.”
Violent crime
Local councils dealt with 1.26 million fly-tipping incidents in 2024/2025, though these figures only account for waste illegally dumped on public land that has been reported to the authorities. It is a 9% increase on the year before.
Country Land and Business Association president Gavin Lane said: “Farmers and land managers have had enough. The countryside is increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs – often violent – who know that rural areas are under-policed.
“It’s not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous – even asbestos and chemicals – endangering wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment.
Mr Lane added: “Farmers are victims yet have to pay clean-up costs themselves. We need to see penalties being enforced that better reflect the severity of the crime, and the seizure of vehicles must be the default penalty to send a clear signal that criminals will face real consequences if they are caught fly-tipping.”