Guidance - Catchment Sensitive Farming: reduce water and air pollution

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is a partnership between Defra, the Environment Agency and Natural England. It works with farmers and a range of other partners to improve water and air quality in high priority areas. CSFoffers farmers free training, advice and support for grant applications.

Find out if your land’s in a high priority area

To see if land is in a high priority area:

1. Go to MAGIC.
2. In Table of Contents, select ‘Countryside Stewardship Targeting & Scoring Layers’, then ‘Water’, then ‘Countryside Stewardship Water Quality Priority Areas (England)’.
3. In search box, enter place or postcode and hit return.
4. The map shows high priority (red) and medium priority (yellow) areas.
5. Click the ‘Identify’ icon on the toolbar (the ‘i’ in a white circle).
6. Move the crosshairs over your land and left-click the mouse.
7. The pop-up window shows location details and if the land’s in a high priority area.

Training and advice

CSF gives free training and advice to farmers and land managers in high priority areas. It provides practical and cost-effective solutions that improve water and air quality through:

• workshops
• demonstrations
• farm walks
• farm events
• confidential one-to-one advice for priority farms

Contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming officer (CSFO) for details.

Topics covered include:

• manure management
• nutrient management
• soil condition
• pesticide management
• farm infrastructure
• silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oils regulations
• cross compliance
• Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

You can find out more in related publications and documents.

Countryside Stewardship capital grant applications

CSF can support your application for Mid Tier capital grants to improve water and air quality in a priority area.

Some capital items require written support from a CSFO as part of the evidence requirement. Check the capital grant requirements to see when this applies.

Endorsement of a Mid Tier application by a CSFO will increase the chance of its success. If you need this support contact your local CSFO to discuss a pre-application visit.

Partnerships

CSF works with a range of partners, including water companies, local authorities, agricultural and environmental bodies, to improve water and air quality.

National partnerships

National partners run joint events and share best practice. They include:

• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
• Campaign for the Farmed Environment - events
• Innovation for Agriculture - Learning from your land videos (with CSF and the Ernest Cook Memorial Trust)
• Professional Nutrient Management Group - Tried and tested
• The Rivers Trust - Pinpoint
• Soil and Water Management Centre - events
• The Voluntary Initiative - responsible use of pesticides

Building capacity with water companies

CSF is working with water companies and their farm advice delivery partners to address water quality issues through:

• shared on-farm events
• co-funding of local CSFOs
• joint catchment advice products
• specialist advice services for farmers

Long-term catchment partnerships

These are jointly funded and run by CSF and the partners involved. The CSFOs are employed by the lead partner. Each partnership provides advice, training and grant support to farmers in their catchment’s priority areas.

Catchment partnership	Local partners
Isle of Wight	Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Nene and Upper Welland	River Nene Regional Park, Anglian Water, Wildlife Trust, Welland Rivers Trust
Yorkshire Dales	Yorkshire Dales National Park
Nidd	Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Yorkshire Water
Loddon	Affinity Water (working with South East Water)
Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire catchment partnership

Short-term collaborative projects

CSF collaborates on projects with partners such as rivers trusts, FWAG, universities and water companies. This collaborative working:

• supports CSF’s work in priority catchments
• extends CSF’s reach and that of our partners
• pools resources and expertise
• allows us to pilot innovative and more integrated approaches

CSF is working with FWAG South East, farmers, agronomists and South East Water to show the potential benefits of cover crops including the reduction of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA) . The partners:

• have sown cover crop plots
• will hold a farmer training event
• will produce a case study with the results of soil analysis and cover crop measurements from the plots
• created a video of farmers’ experiences of cover crops

CSF is working with the Arun and Rother Rivers Trust to test a range of water holding features that reduce sediment in surface runoff from farmland, known as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).