On the 30th November DEFRA announced that from April 2018 all farmers in England will need to follow new rules to protect water quality.

These rules will require farmers to keep soil on their land, match nutrients to crop and soil needs and keep livestock fertilisers and manure out of the water.  This will benefit farmers financially by saving money via greater nutrient use efficiency, increasing productivity and reducing the loss of soils and land. Additionally, these measures will also benefit the environment, in particular watercourses.

Arlin Rickard, CEO of The Rivers Trust and Chairman of the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA), National Support Group said, “We have been working closely with DEFRA and farmers on the ground to ensure these common-sense, but important rules, are easy to follow and are set out in a practical and intuitive way”.

The rules will require farmers to manage livestock by protecting land within five metres of water and reducing livestock poaching. There will also be minimum storage and spreading distances from water bodies. Supported by rules requiring farmers to test their soils to enable them to plan and apply fertiliser or manure to improve soil nutrient levels and crop needs without exceeding the value required thereby saving costs.

How we can help:

As your local catchment partnership Becks to Bay may be able to help either by providing advice or, where funding is available, through grants. Grants may be available to undertake improvements such as riverbank fencing, alternative drinking solutions and hard standing along tracks to reduce sediment input into the becks. If you would like to discuss any options further, please get in touch via our contacts form.

More information can be found by reading DEFRA’s announcement.