Investigation by The Guardian The majority of UK dairy farms are breaking pollution rules, with vast amounts of cow manure being spilled into rivers. When animal waste enters the river, it causes a buildup of the nutrients found in the effluent, such as nitrates and phosphates. These cause algal blooms, which deplete the waterway of […]
Groups of farmers will be offered support to work together to store water and protect against the impact of drought through a new fund launched by the government today (Monday 22 April). The £1.6 million fund will be used by farmers to investigate different methods to manage water in their area. Projects could include multi-farm […]
From The Guardian Farmers who have their entire cropping land submerged underwater have found they are ineligible for a government flooding hardship fund – because their farms are too far from a major river. According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest amount for any 18-month […]
Last week, Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency delivered a speech at the 2024 NFU Conference. He talks about flooding, dredging, pollution, water resources, funding and more. Also covered by Sky News Environment watchdog chair tells farmers to ‘do better’ on river pollution Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell acknowledged the numerous “financial pressures” on […]
The Environment Agency has launched a campaign to highlight the risks of growing high-risk crops, which can lead to pollution and flooding, in the South West of England Parts of Cornwall and north and east Devon are considered at risk due to underlying soil types, slope and proximity to sensitive watercourses, roads and properties. Inadequate […]
The Guardian reports that eighty-three per cent of English rivers contain evidence of high pollution caused by sewage and agricultural waste, according to the largest citizen science water testing project ever to take place in the UK. Hundreds of anglers took part in the study, organised by the Angling Trust, after being angered by the […]
A new campaign group, whose founders include the environmental activist and columnist George Monbiot, is taking the UK government to court over its failure to properly regulate the use of sewage sludge, which is used as fertiliser on farmland. The campaign is underpinned by the details of a once-secret Environment Agency report, obtained by an […]
The High Court in Cardiff last week agreed River Action’s challenge of the Environment Agency’s handling of agricultural pollution in the River Wye can proceed to court. River Action argued that by failing to prevent the spread of excessive levels of manure across agricultural land in the Wye river catchment, where high phosphorus levels in […]