Guide
Environmental permits for food businesses in Wales
How to identify and apply for the environmental permits your food business needs from Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Covers trade effluent consent, water abstraction, smoke and odour controls, food waste treatment permits, and packaging waste obligations. NRW is the sole environmental regulator in Wales — do not apply to the Environment Agency.
If you run a food business in Wales — whether manufacturing, processing, catering, or hospitality — you may need one or more environmental permits from Natural Resources Wales (NRW). These permits cover activities that could pollute water, air, or land, including discharging trade effluent, abstracting water, emitting smoke or odour, and treating food waste.
The permits you need depend on the scale and nature of your operations. A small cafe may only need trade effluent consent from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, while a large food processing plant could need several NRW permits covering water discharge, abstraction, industrial emissions, and waste treatment.
Operating a regulated activity without the required permit is a criminal offence. Check your requirements before you start trading or before you change your operations.
Which permits does your food business need?
Food businesses in Wales commonly need permits for the following activities. Review each one against your operations.
Trade effluent discharge
If your food business discharges trade effluent into the public sewer — for example, wash water from food preparation, cleaning chemicals, or fats and oils — you need trade effluent consent from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (not NRW). Trade effluent is any liquid waste produced by your business that is not domestic sewage or surface water.
If you discharge directly into a river, stream, or groundwater instead of the public sewer, you need a water discharge permit from NRW under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.
Water abstraction
Food processing often requires large volumes of water. If you abstract more than 20 cubic metres per day from a river, stream, or underground source in Wales, you need a water abstraction licence from NRW. Mains water supplied by Dwr Cymru does not require an abstraction licence.
Smoke, odour, and industrial emissions
Food businesses that produce smoke, odour, or other emissions may need permits under two regimes:
- Environmental permit (Part A or Part B) — larger industrial food processes such as rendering, animal by-product processing, or intensive food manufacturing may fall under the Industrial Emissions Directive as implemented through the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. Apply to NRW for Part A permits; your local authority issues Part B permits for smaller processes.
- Clean Air Act 1993 — local authorities in Wales enforce smoke control areas. If your premises are in a smoke control area, you must use authorised fuels or exempt appliances.
Even where no formal permit is required, persistent odour from a food business can be treated as a statutory nuisance by your local authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Food waste treatment
If your food business treats, stores, or disposes of food waste on site — for example through composting, anaerobic digestion, or incineration — you need an environmental permit or waste exemption from NRW. Small-scale composting of vegetable waste may qualify for a registered exemption rather than a full permit.
Separately, all food businesses in Wales must comply with the Welsh Government's workplace recycling requirements, which mandate the separate collection of food waste from April 2024.
Packaging waste
If your food business handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging per year and has a turnover above GBP 2 million, you must register with NRW as a packaging waste producer and meet recovery and recycling obligations under the Packaging Waste Regulations.
How to apply
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1. Identify which permits your food business needs
Review each permit type above against your operations. If you discharge trade effluent to the sewer, contact Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. For all other environmental permits, contact NRW. Use the NRW online guidance at naturalresources.wales to check requirements.
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2. Request pre-application advice from NRW
NRW offers pre-application advice to help you understand your permit requirements and prepare your application. This service may be chargeable but can prevent rejected applications and costly delays. Contact NRW's Customer Care Centre on 0300 065 3000.
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3. Gather supporting documents
Prepare site plans, process flow diagrams showing your food production activities, environmental risk assessments, details of any discharges or emissions, and your proposed monitoring arrangements. Requirements vary by permit type.
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4. Apply through the NRW portal
Submit your application online through the NRW permits and permissions portal at naturalresources.wales. Pay the application fee at the time of submission. Some permit types also accept paper applications.
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5. Respond to NRW during determination
NRW may request additional information during the assessment period. For food businesses, this often includes questions about effluent composition, waste volumes, or odour management plans. Respond promptly to avoid delays.
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6. Receive your permit and comply with conditions
Read every condition in your permit carefully. Food business permits typically require monitoring of discharge quality, waste records, emission measurements, and regular reporting to NRW. Non-compliance is a criminal offence.
Fees
NRW charges application fees and annual subsistence fees for environmental permits. The amount depends on the permit type and complexity. NRW publishes its charging scheme annually, usually taking effect from 1 April.
Trade effluent consent fees are charged separately by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and are based on the volume and strength of your discharge.
If things go wrong
If you have an accidental discharge, spill, or emission that breaches your permit conditions, notify NRW immediately on their incident hotline (0300 065 3000, available 24 hours). Prompt self-reporting is taken into account when NRW decides on enforcement action. Take immediate steps to contain any environmental damage.
NRW has powers to inspect premises, issue enforcement notices, suspend or revoke permits, and prosecute offenders. Penalties for operating without a required permit or breaching permit conditions include unlimited fines.
What to do next
Once you hold your permits:
- Monitor and record as required by your permit conditions
- Submit returns and reports to NRW by the specified deadlines
- Pay annual subsistence fees on time
- Apply to NRW if you need to vary, transfer, or surrender a permit (for example, if you change your food production processes)
- Register with your local authority for food hygiene — environmental permits are separate from food safety registration
- Check whether Welsh Government workplace recycling rules apply to your food waste arrangements