The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

2.  Benefit to agriculture shall be assessed by reference to whether the spreading will result in an improvement of the soil for the purpose of growing crops or grazing, and the following criteria shall apply for the purposes of such assessment –

(a) the addition of nitrogen, phosphorous and other plant nutrients in the waste material should take account of the soil nutrient status and other sources of nutrient supply and be matched to the needs of the planned crop rotation;

(b) the addition of total nitrogen attributable to the spreading in any 12 month period must not exceed 250 kg per hectare, except in the case of the following wastes –

(i) garden and park wastes (including cemetery wastes) consisting of soil and stones;

(ii) soil (including excavated soil from contaminated sites), stones and dredging spoil, consisting of soil and stones;

(iii) soil from cleaning and washing beet; and

(iv) dredging spoil;

(c) the addition of materials containing lime should take account of the neutralising value of the material, the pH of the soil and the target soil pH for the crop rotation;

(d) the addition of organic matter which improves the capacity of the soil to hold water, or its porosity, stability, tilth and workability and is a benefit;

(e) the spreading of watery wastes may be a benefit where the moisture of the soil is insufficient to support the growth of crops at the time of application, or where they contain nutrients which are applied at an appropriate rate;

(f) the spreading of waste soil may be a benefit where it is done in order to level uneven land and thereby facilitate the use of the land for agriculture, but not where it is done solely in order to raise the level of the land.