A farmer in Northern Ireland was handed a suspended prison sentence last month after hundreds of scrap vehicles were discovered on land under his control (along with large quantities of other illegally-stored waste).

As reported by FarmingUK, John Baird of Banbridge was sentenced at Newry Crown Court on 2 October 2026. The sentence: six months in prison, suspended for two years.

Environmental inspectors had found hundreds of end-of-life vehicles alongside waste including vehicle parts, scrap metal, plastics and timber at two sites for which Mr Baird was reponsible. He admitted two counts of unauthorised keeping of controlled waste under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. The sites were eventually cleared at his expense.

This case highlights the importance of dealing with scrap vehicles properly. But John Baird was sentenced in Northern Ireland; what are the rules for us here in Wales?