Further progress is needed on the appropriate management of spent sheep dip to prevent environmental pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Plans are afoot to establish a new law to implement a professional user register for sheep dip under the veterinary medicine rules.

The EPA has identified several challenges in a new report around the management of sheep dip and its disposal.

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These include the regulation of mobile dippers and the viability of an authorisation process for the disposal of spent dip.

A review into the management of farm hazardous waste, including spent sheep dip, shows "mixed results", according to the EPA.

A total of 95t of farm hazardous waste and 65t of household hazardous waste was collected and treated in 2024 as part of a trial collection project.

The EPA's mid-term evaluation of Ireland’s 'National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2021-2027' found mixed results in terms of implementation.

The plan sets out measures to improve the prevention and management of hazardous waste such as spent sheep dip, unused and expired medicines, household hazardous waste including surplus paint and the assessment of national infrastructure and capacity.

Export

Ireland is reliant on facilities in European countries to export hazardous wastes. This, the EPA has said, poses a risk around management of these waste materials in a sustainable way.

Progress on the plan’s priority areas has been variable, with notable improvements and progress in some areas, but limited advancement in others.

Hazardous waste generation decreased from 580,000t in 2019 to 381,000t in 2023 due to, for example, a decrease in dredging activity and lower volumes of contaminated soils.

This mid-term evaluation presents updates on the implementation of all the recommendations and actions identified in the plan with 17 recommendations completed or on track to date.

Commenting on the report, director of the EPA’s office of environmental sustainability David Flynn said: “Our report highlights a strong case for investment in Ireland’s hazardous waste treatment infrastructure.

"This is needed to ensure highly polluting hazardous wastes are properly and safely managed. Ireland exports half of its hazardous waste for treatment. We cannot continue to rely on other countries to treat significant quantities of hazardous wastes generated in Ireland.”