Four reactions to EFRA Committee report    Bob Earll  The scale of the events: In the face of three major winter storm – flood events in 2012, 2013-14 and 2015-16 – billion pound storms – MPs clearly felt the need to speak out. These events are becoming almost normal and they are characterised not by just […]

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Environment Agency issues metaldehyde advice for autumn crop growers The Environment Agency is calling on growers to think ‘slope, soil and stream’ when they apply metaldehyde based slug pellets to crops this autumn. Metaldehyde is the pesticide that most often causes risks to drinking water sources, especially in the autumn – if metaldehyde enters watercourses it […]

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The latest reports from the Environment Agency on environmental performance show that pollution incidents from water companies operating mainly in England are falling while the quality of the water environment continues to rise. In 2015, 65% of all serious pollution incidents affected the water environment, while 19% affected air and 21% affected land. The water […]

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The waste management institute CIWM reports that the Environment Agency and Natural England, along with the Forestry Commission, are working with Defra on the approach to a 25 year plan for the environment.  To help support the 25 year plan, strengthen relationships with local partners and enable integrated decisions that deliver the best environmental improvements, […]

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The size of fines for water company pollution incidents has been growing steadily over the last two years following a fundamental change in the legal framework. This report on the environmental performance of the water comes close on the heels of another major company fine for Severn Trent.  Environmental Performance Assessment The Environment Agency ‘is […]

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The Environment Agency has published a paper setting out its position on accepting DNA-based methods for environmental monitoring and decision-making in the absence of a regulated framework to validate the methods. “The adoption of DNA-based methods in regulations will give a paradigm shift to ecological assessment. For this DNA-based paradigm to emerge and to enable […]

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Environment Agency publishes report on catchment projects in 2015-16 Environment Agency ‘This report, produced by the Environment Agency, outlines projects funded under the Catchment Partnership Action Fund. The aim of the Catchment Partnership Action Fund is to deliver improved water quality to meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. The fund helped to support catchment […]

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