A clear example of the costs of farming being passed on to the water sector. This and many other issues will need to be addressed in the post Brexit debate on the future of farming.

Anglian Water has warned that the cost of setting up metaldehyde (slug pellet) treatment for drinking water in the East of England would amount to almost £600 million, making it “unsustainable for customers’ bills”.

Anglian Water releases colossal cost estimates for metaldehyde treatment as industry talks about tackling the pesticides in drinking water to avoid a hefty toll on farmers and customers

Almost six hundred million pounds is the sum of money needed to set-up metaldehyde (slug pellet) treatment for drinking water in the East of England, according to Anglian Water. The company estimates it would cost an additional £17million every year to run, too – amounting to a 21 per cent increase in customer bills.

The cost predictions were released recently at meeting, led by Anglian Water, to share progress, learnings and concerns in tackling pesticide levels in raw water sources for drinking water. The session brought together some of the leading water companies in catchment management, Defra, industry regulators and pesticide chemical manufacturers. The Drinking Water Directive says individual pesticide levels in drinking water must not exceed 0.1 micrograms per litre, and regulators want to know by 2017 how this limit will be met for metaldehyde. At present an outright ban on metaldehyde from 2020 is a real possibility unless UK policymakers choose to pursue a more bespoke approach.

At the event, Anglian Water presented findings from its catchment management initiatives including its Slug It Out trial – the UK’s largest ever metaldehyde-free farming trial aimed at meeting the drinking water directive. Slug It Out achieved a 60 per cent drop in levels of metaldehyde detected in reservoir tributaries last year, but it was not enough to meet the legislative limits in all areas. Severn Trent and Thames Water have also run similar trials. The results from the three companies show that even removing 100 per cent of metaldehyde from farmland is still not sufficient to meet the drinking water legislation. The reasons for this are being investigated but it’s believed the chemical takes longer to break down than previously thought, and could be coming from other sources such as domestic allotments.

Anglian Water believes more support from others including agriculture, water sector regulators and pesticide manufacturers is needed to find the best solution overall. Anglian Water’s Catchment Strategy Manager, Lucinda Gilfoyle, said: “Through our catchment management strategy and Anglian Water farming advisors we’re working collaboratively with farmers and the agricultural sector on a range of topics, and our two sectors are working more closely and more effectively than ever before. Other water companies are doing the same as they recognise catchment management brings excellent customer benefits through reduced cost of water treatment and environmental benefits too.

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