Today (30 June), the Environment Agency has published its
inaugural Agriculture Report, giving an
overview of the environmental performance of the sector
and showcasing how it helps farmers
improve their environmental impact.
The EA engages with farmers, using
advice, incentives, and enforcement where
necessary, to improve compliance with
environmental regulations. In the past five
years, EA officers have completed over 19,000
inspections of non-permitted farms
to check compliance with water
quality regulations.
During an on-farm inspection, officers will check compliance
against a wide range of regulations and record any
non-compliances. Rates of
non-compliance have remained steady at an
average of 48% over the last five years, though a 5%
decrease in the last year compared to the five-year
average indicates signs of improvement. There are many
variables that can affect rates of compliance, but an overall
reduction is encouraging.
Today's report highlights the majority of farmers
take protecting the
environment very seriously
with over 19,000 improvement
actions completed, targeted
at upgrading farm infrastructure and reducing
pollution risk, since April 2021. These actions
range from fixing a small piece of guttering to the complete
replacement of a slurry store.
The EA is set to further increase farm inspections to
6000 annually over the next 3 years with higher levels of
government funding.
Dr Jo Nettleton, Environment Agency's Chief Regulator,
said:
Agriculture has a significant and increasing impact on our water
environment.
Our approach is clear - we will work constructively
with those who want to do the right thing, using advice and
guidance as our primary tools.
Where this does not happen, we are increasing our
regulatory presence and moving through the sanctions
available to us to take strong enforcement action. This
report shows we are starting to see real progress - but
there is more to do to protect our precious water environment.
This report, published annually going forward, is part of a
suite of EA publications reviewing performance and environmental
impact of the sectors it regulates. This includes the Chief
Regulator's Report, detailing performance of its key sectors, and
the Environmental Performance Assessment, assessing environmental
compliance of water companies.
The regulator is committed to expanding its farm inspection
programme and use of innovation, introducing the Agricultural
Land Environmental Risk and Opportunity Tool (ALERT) tool, and
remote sensing, to target work more effectively and reduce burden
on compliant farms.
