United Utilities is offering farmers with unwanted, unlabelled or out-of-date chemicals in their sheds and stores the opportunity to get them safely disposed of free of charge and with no questions asked.

The water company is offering a pesticides and poisons amnesty to farmers in its drinking water catchments to prevent chemicals being poured down the drain or on to land and potentially polluting groundwater and watercourses in Cheshire.

Farmers eligible for the free service include those located in United Utilities’ River Dee, Llangollen Canal, River Dane and Cheshire Borehole drinking water safeguard zones.

Dr. Kate Snow, southern area catchment manager, explained:

“We run this offer regularly to allow farmers and landowners to dispose of illegal and out-of-date pesticides. This year, we’re widening the amnesty to include our Cheshire Borehole catchments.

“It’s illegal to store or use unapproved or out-of-date pesticides. However, many farmers have forgotten bottles and jars with unknown contents or stores of chemicals that they couldn’t use before the pesticide license expired or went out-of-date. It can be difficult and costly to legally dispose of these chemicals which is why we are offering this disposal scheme."

The amnesty is running until spring 2020. Since the scheme began, more than three tonnes of waste pesticides have been collected and safely disposed of.

Products accepted for disposal include those with a MAPP, MAFF, PSPS or ACAS registration number. Generally this includes agricultural and horticultural products approved as herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, vertebrate control products and growth regulators. Unlabelled or unknown products are also accepted.

Kate Snow continued:

“If you are, or think you may be, in possession of illegal or unknown chemicals, please contact your local catchment adviser and arrange for free disposal so that together we can protect rivers and streams across our region.”