How to report a breach (incident) of Farm Sustainability Standards including water pollution, environmental or countryside damage, and animal welfare concerns.

Types of Incidents We Investigate

🌳 Environment and Countryside

• Damage to the natural environment or countryside.
• Pollution of water or land.
• Unusual drops in river flow.

🌿 Landscape Features

• Damage to dry stone walls.
• Removal or damage to hedgerows.
• Damage to ditches, sheughs, earth banks or associated features.
• Infilling of open ditches or sheughs.

🐦 Wildlife and Habitat

• Injury, damage or danger to birds.
• Damage to bird habitats.
• Suspected illegal hedge, tree or scrub cutting, including trimming, laying or coppicing between 1 March and 31 August.

🚜 Agricultural Activity

• Soil damage caused by agricultural activity between harvest and 15 January (inclusive).
• Burning of heather, gorse, whin or fern between 15 April and 31 August.
• Application of organic manures between 15 October and 31 January.
• Organic manures include:

• Slurry

  Poultry litter

  Sewage sludge

  Abattoir waste

• Application of farmyard manure between 31 October and 31 January.
• Application of chemical fertiliser between 15 September and 31 January.

🐄Farmed Animal Welfare

• Poorly conditioned
• Cruelty
• The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

💧 Watercourse Alterations

Suspected alterations to watercourses made without consent, including:

• Dredging
• Straightening
• Impounding
• Works to river banks or beds

🌍 Protected Sites and Habitats

• Damage to Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI).
• Damage within Special Protection Areas (SPA).
• Damage within Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

♻️ Waste Crime

• Large-scale dumping of waste.
• Dumping of hazardous waste.
• Illegal waste sites.

🌱 Noxious Weed and Invasive Non-Native Species

Illegal activities involving noxious weed and invasive alien species including:

• Keeping or breeding species.
• Selling, exchanging or advertising species.
• Cultivating or allowing species to reproduce.
• Releasing species into the environment.
• Transporting species except where permitted for eradication purposes.

What Information Do We Need?

To help us investigate your report as quickly and effectively as possible, please provide:

📍 Location

• Where is or was the incident taking place?
• Please provide a grid reference if possible.
• If you do not have a grid reference, give clear directions or a detailed description of the location.

🔍 What Happened?

• Describe what you observed.
• Include details of any activity, equipment, vehicles, waste, or environmental damage.

👤 Who Was Responsible?

• Tell us who you believe may be responsible.
• Include names, vehicle registrations, business names, or other identifying details if known.

🕒 When Did It Happen?

• Provide the date and time of the incident.
• If unknown, give an approximate timeframe.

📷 Additional Evidence

• Photographs or videos can be helpful if they can be obtained safely.
• Never put yourself at risk to gather evidence.

Before You Report

✅ Record as much information as possible.

✅ Take photographs only when it is safe to do so.

✅ Note vehicle registrations and descriptions where possible.

❌ Do not confront individuals involved.

❌ Do not enter private land without permission.

Report the Incident

🚜 Farm Sustainability Standards Incident

Please call on 0300 200 7848 and ask for ‘Farm Sustainability Standards Incident Referrals’, or Email: aesdreferrals@daera-ni.gov.uk

Water Pollution Incident

Call the water pollution hotline on  0800 80 70 60 immediately for any ongoing water pollution incidents.  This hotline is open 24 hours OR Email “emergency-pollution@daera-ni.gov.uk” for any non urgent water pollution issues.

Environmental, Marine Or Fisheries Incident

Click on the link below to report incidents related to the marine, fisheries, and natural environment. 

DAERA Environmental Incident Reporting System | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool

Click on the link below to report a dead gull, wader, duck, goose or swan, 

DAERA Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool.

Wildlife Crime

Click on the link below to report any incidents involving poaching (of game animals & fish), illegal disturbance and / or destruction of protected wildlife species.

Wildlife Law

Archaeological Disturbance

Email: historicenvironmentenquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk to report any archaeological disturbances.