Environment Agency - Home

Environmental permitting for the food and drink sector

Find out if you need an Environmental Permit for your business and how to apply.

Do I need to apply for a permit?

Food and drink companies need a bespoke environmental permit to operate any activity listed in Section 6.8 Part A(1) of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations. There are numerical thresholds associated with each of these activities. A permit is needed where a threshold is exceeded:

This section includes:

  • Slaughtering animals;
  • Disposing or recycling animal carcasses or animal waste, other than by rendering or incineration;
  • Treating and processing materials intended for the production of food products from animal raw materials;
  • Treating and processing materials intended for the production of food products from vegetable raw materials;
  • Treating and processing milk.

Further information is given in Regulatory Guidance Series EPR 2 Understanding the meaning of regulated facility. You will find this document on our regulatory guidance page:

How to apply for a permit

The majority of food and drink activities will require a bespoke environmental permit. However, certain operations may be eligible for a low impact installation permit. The application form contains the qualifying criteria for the low impact installations. You can view this on our application forms and guidance page:

Click on the headings below to find out more about the environmental permitting process:

Change, transfer or surrender your permit

Find out how to make changes to (vary), transfer or surrender your permit.

Environmental permitting guidance

Guidance on how to complete your application and help you comply with the conditions of your environmental permit.

Making an application

You need to fill in the application form if you want to apply for a new permit, or if you want to change, transfer or surrender your permit.


How we work together

Find out how we consult with the public and relevant organisations on applications for permits.


View current Environmental Permitting applications

The Environment Agency must decide whether to grant or refuse the applications on this page. If it grants an application, it must also decide what conditions should be included in the permit.


Further help

If you still aren’t sure whether you need an Environmental Permit, please contact our National Customer Contact Centre on 0370 8506506. If your enquiry is of a technical nature they may pass you to someone in our area offices.

Please be aware that the amount of free time we can spend on pre-application is limited. Please familiarise yourself with the relevant guidance before you call us.