When you are planning on establishing or expanding a broiler farm, it’s important to manage the potential risk of odour, which can generate community concerns and complaints.

If your broiler farm requires a planning permit for a Special Class Broiler Farms and Farm Clusters, as defined in section 5 of the Victorian Code for Broiler Farms 2009, you will need to engage an odour modeller as part of your planning permit application.

The Recommended Separation Distances for Industrial Residual Air Emissions Guidelines (publication 1518) has advice on recommended separation distances between sensitive receivers  (such as residential houses, hospitals, or surface water bodies) and agricultural activities which emit odour or have sensitive land uses.

The distances outlined in Table 1 can provide helpful information for all farmers.

If you are irrigating, Section 7.1.2 (pg. 40) of the Guidelines for Environmental Management: Use of reclaimed water (publication 464) may also provide relevant information, with suggested buffer distances to surface waters.

When you have or plan to have more than 5,000 head of livestock within an intensive livestock operation (excluding broiler farms), you require a works approval from EPA.

A works approval may be required for developing new saleyards, piggeries, feedlots or animal holding depots with a capacity of more than 5,000 livestock, and/or expanding existing holdings under the Environment Protection (Scheduled Premises) Regulations 2017. For further information about works approvals refer to the works approval guidelines (publication 1658).

If you plan to have more than 5,000 pigs, or are expanding or modifying a piggery with more than 5,000 pigs, the Works approval for piggeries guideline (publication 1686) will provide you with more specific information about applying for the works approval.

Q-Fever: guidance for preparing planning approvals (publication 1907) provides information and guidance for planners assessing, and proponents seeking approval for developments, where public health risks of Q-Fever must be considered.

Farmers, along with all Victorians, have obligations under legislation to prevent their wastes from having negative impacts on the environment. The following information can provide you with good waste management practices:

• What to do with farm wastes (publication 1049)
• What to do with farm wastes (poster, publication 1049)
• Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Farm Waste Management (IWRG641).

If your farm produces effluent it may impact ground and surface water by altering the amount of nutrients and other potential contaminants. The following tools and guidelines can help you to understand your potential risks and how to best manage them:

• How to manage effluent on dairy farms
• Section 7.1.4 of Guidelines for Environmental Management: Use of reclaimed water (publication 464) for winter storage requirements and winter storage calculation
• Guidelines for Environmental Management: Biosolids land application (publication 943).

Dead stock left in paddocks can be a disease risk and could contaminate land and water, as well as creating odours. Dead stock should be sent to the knackery or rendering plant for reuse or to an appropriately licensed landfill for disposal.

If this is not possible, limited numbers of dead stock can be buried on a farm, aligning with the practices outlined in the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Farm Waste Management (IWRG641).

The dead stock from intensive animal industries such as piggeries, feedlots and broiler or egg farms must not be buried on a farm without EPA approval.

Lead contamination/poisoning is a risk if livestock have access to old batteries. Used batteries should be stored undercover in a spill tray, then taken to metal recycling collection depots or sales outlets. The Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Motor vehicle repair and service premises (IWRG642) can provide more information.

When you are undertaking composting (thermophilic aerobic) on your farm, our composting guidance will provide you advice on how to design, construct and manage composting facilities in a manner that protects human health and the environment in Victoria.

It is important that tyres are stored in a way that reduces the potential for fires. To help you understand your obligations and how to manage excess tyres see How to store and transport waste tyres.

For more information on how to manage the storage of tyres used for silage production, refer to  Safe storage and use of waste tyres for silage production.

Correctly disposing of chemicals and chemical containers reduces the risk of exposure for the people and animals who live and work on your farms. Managing chemicals and chemical containers prevents spills and leaks, avoiding the potential for contaminated soil and groundwater.

Excess or unwanted chemicals can be disposed of via the ChemClear program. For correct disposal, the chemicals need to be registered, then taken to a scheduled collection point for safe removal. See ChemClear for further details on registration and collection events.

Cleaned agvet chemical containers of up to 205 litres with the DrumMuster logo can be recycled at a DrumMuster collection site. See the DrumMuster website for information on rinsing standards, eligible containers, and collections sites.

Also see the Liquid storage and handling guidelines (publication 1698).

We understand that farmers experience difficulties after bushfires.

Our bushfire waste disposal advice aims to reduce burdens on farmers. It also aims to help protect people and farms from bushfires' after-effects.

You must dispose of bushfire waste in the right way. This prevents harm to the environment and human health.

The chemicals used on your farm, such as fungicides and insecticides, can be a significant source of pollution for the environment and your health. For advice on reducing this pollution risk see: 

• How to improve resource efficiency in your business
• Liquid storage and handling guidelines (publication 1698) 

Advice for managing your chemical drums and other wastes is in the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Farm Waste Management (publication IWRG641).

Diesel, petrol, grease, oil, detergent, paint, thinners, metals and litter are all potential pollutants of the environment.

The Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Motor Vehicle Repair and Service Premises (IWRG642) and the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines: Farm Waste Management (IWRG641) may provide helpful advice on how to manage these on your farm.

It is important to you and your neighbour’s’ health to manage noise from your farm.

Under the general environmental duty (GED), you must understand the risks to the environment and human health from your businesses activities and how to address them as far as reasonably practicable.

Also, you must not make unreasonable noise.

Noise levels from certain noise sources on your farm, such as generators, may need to be limited. The Environment Protection Regulations 2021 and the Noise limit and assessment protocol for the control of noise from commercial, industrial and trade premises and entertainment venues (publication 1826) (Noise Protocol) set noise limits.

These will not apply to noise from mobile farm machinery or from livestock on a farm or in a saleyard.

For managing noise from frost fans, see Guidelines on noise from frost fans (publication 1043).

For managing noise from scare guns, see section 12 of the Noise Control Guidelines (publication 1254).

Reusing water can play an important part in reducing the demand on your farm's precious drinking or potable water supplies. With appropriate management, which may include treatment, waste water can be used for a wide range of purposes including both plant uses (e.g. cooling, material washing) or non-plant uses (e.g. irrigation, toilet flushing).

To reuse waste water in a safe and sustainable way it is important to follow the Victorian guideline for water recycling (publication 1910) and Technical information for the Victorian guideline for water recycling (publication 1911..

The Code of practice for small wastewater treatment plants (publication 500) have been developed to facilitate the design of small wastewater treatment systems which serve less than 500 people.

When you are thinking about creating dams and basins on your property it is important to plan how you’ll prevent the risks of erosion or sediment pollution to waterways. Section 14 of Construction techniques for sediment pollution control guideline (publication 275) can help you with this.

You can also see our guidance for managing erosion and sediment.

It is important to manage your dust to prevent pollution of waterways and adjoining properties. Dust control can improve working conditions, reduce vehicle maintenance needs and reduce the chance of neighbour complaints. Many techniques to control soil erosion by water can also prevent wind erosion. Section 11 of Construction techniques for sediment pollution control guideline (publication 275) can help you with this.

You can also see our guidance for managing erosion and sediment.

It is important to put the right controls in place for managing sediment and dust from eroding access tracks and areas disturbed by equipment. Section 17 of Construction techniques for sediment pollution control guideline (publication 275) can help you with this.

You can also see our guidance for managing erosion and sediment.

When you are thinking about undertaking earthworks on your property it is important to plan how you will prevent the risks of erosion or sediment pollution to waterways.

See our guidance for managing erosion and sediment for a risk-based approach to preventing and minimising impacts from erosion and sediment.