The hunt is on to find new sites for compost heaps in Oxfordshire following Chancellor Gordon Brown's increased tax on landfill rubbish tips announced in his pre-Budget statement.

Surveyors' company Fisher German is now looking for new sites in the county for proposed hi-tech composting schemes.

A spokesman for the South Midlands company, Yan Grittins, said: "More farm-based compost sites are needed in Oxfordshire to meet the Government's target to process 25 per cent of all green waste by 2005."

Fisher German is searching for sites on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council.

Under a simple system, owners of farm sites can earn £30,000-£50,000 a year for composting green waste.

Mr Gittins added: "Farm sites must be within 10 miles of urban areas like Oxford and Banbury, and provide good access to deal with loads of between three and 20 tonnes, and a reasonable distance from human activity.

"Although farms will need to be well spaced at the start, with planning permission only given to one in each area, more farms in the group will have to be added as the amount of waste increases."

Next year new Environmental Agency guidelines propose to allow farmers with a waste management licence exemption to sell compost for agricultural and commercial use.