28 May 2026
Image description: John Deere tractor towing a slurry tanker. Photo by Mirko Fabian on Unsplash Years of river protection effort under review The Welsh government has signalled it will unwind the ban on spreading muck between mid-October and January, a rule introduced specifically to prevent slurry being washed into rivers during winter rainfall. Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience […]
30 Apr 2026
Image description: White sheep on green pastures near a lake, taken in Loughross, County Donegal, Ireland. Photo by Brian Kelly on Unsplash Regulations falling short despite farmer efforts Despite positive investment and efforts from farmers, key regulations designed to reduce agricultural pollution have failed to deliver meaningful improvements to water quality in Northern Ireland, […]
29 Jan 2026
Image description: ancient Clapper bridge over the river Avon in Dartmoor national park. Image by Ben Wrigley on Unsplash New, clearer rules proposed on Tuesday 27 January will help to improve water quality, reduce pollution in our rivers and give farmers the confidence to grow food sustainably, the UK Government says. 41% of England’s rivers, lakes and streams […]
18 Dec 2025
Image description: Aerial view of a green combine harvester harvesting a field. Image by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash The government is facing growing calls to overhaul the laws governing the spreading of treated sewage sludge on agricultural land, following new evidence of widespread public concern regarding food safety and river health. On Tuesday, campaigners […]
14 Aug 2025
Image description: Aerial view of two tractors driving toward each other along parallel lines. Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash After legal pressure from campaign group River Action, the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs has closed what they claim was “a major loophole”; manure can now only be spread when crops actually […]
24 Jul 2025
A new scheme is being trialled in south Wales with the aim of recycling an extra 200 tonnes of farm plastics to reduce farm plastic pollution in rivers. The Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Four Rivers for LIFE project is working with Agriculture Plastics Environment (APE), Birch Farm Plastics and Afonydd Cymru to increase the collection […]
19 Dec 2024
Ahead of its annual meeting in Davos next month, the World Economic Forum has cited research showing that climate hazards will slash 7% off corporate earnings annually by 2035, an impact akin to COVID-19-level disruptions every two years. The reports— Business on the Edge: Building Industry Resilience to Climate Hazards, produced with support from Accenture, and The […]
11 Dec 2024
The BBC reports that water companies are planning to build a pipeline network to move treated sewage away from conservation areas and into rivers, lakes and seas which do not have the same legal protection. Photo credit: Gavin Young The work will be funded by customers and the water regulator, Ofwat, has provisionally […]
