I’d say it was an idea inspired by the recent decommissioning of the Syrian chemical weapons. Somebody high up in the Department of Agriculture had a flash of genius – why don’t we do something similar in Ireland? Like shouldn’t we have an unofficial amnesty for the disposal of expired hazardous waste that has built up on farms?

And so the Pilot Farm Hazardous Waste Scheme was born. Six one-day bring centres were convened around the country, with a nominal charge of €2 per kg for hazardous waste. It was organised as a state multi-agency approach with a whole host of officials involved.

I have to confess to having my fair share of old and deregulated pesticides. Some of these sprays were up to 20 years old and I had some expired veterinary medicines and paint as well. I had all these stored in a locked and sealed steel container, well camouflaged away from the prying eyes of the weapons inspectors, if you follow me. There was nothing else I could do with the stuff, as disposal would have cost an absolute fortune.

So it was with delight that I read of the upcoming pilot scheme. It seemed to be designed for fellows like me but I was a bit nervous that it might be a sting type of operation. However, I was greatly re-assured when I heard on the radio that a fellow had rocked up to one of these centres with some deadly cyanide poison. Since he didn’t appear to be sent directly to Mountjoy, I reckoned I should be alright with my Metasystox and suchlike. But, in fairness, most of my sprays were either pre-PCS or solidified remnants of legitimate products.

To be surrounded by officials from Meath Co Council, Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency could hardly be expected to be a pleasant experience. These officials are the very people we all love to hate and to have a whole nest of them circling around you would bring fear and trembling into any man.

Such was my fate as I nervously pulled up with the jeep and trailer at a bring centre outside Trim. I shyly announced that I had quite a few classic and vintage chemicals, expecting the worst. It later turned out that I had almost 400kg of the stuff for disposal.

Everything was quickly unloaded with a minimum of fuss and weighed into sealed steel drums for incineration in Germany. I was hugely relieved to be rid of my dangerous cargo. Yes, it cost me €700 (including a haggled discount) but this was buttons in terms of what it would be in SFP penalties. The peace of mind is unbelievable and I sincerely wish to commend all those officials who worked on this innovative pilot scheme. I hope that nationally it is a success and that it will be repeated every other year. You see, farmers want to remain within the regulations but only sensible schemes like this make it possible.

While I am singing the praises of the Department of Agriculture, I had good news from them as well. Despite my earlier apprehension following an inspection, our SFP was paid promptly and with no deductions.

What a lovely spell of weather we have had in late November. There’s charlock blooming in the hedgerows, the midges are still biting and my resident bees are out. The sprayer has gone into hibernation with the Bacara completed on the oats and the Kerb on the rape. But some of that auld Metasystox would have properly annihilated the problem aphids this autumn.