The Environment Agency’s (EA) pledge to introduce more efficient environmental regulation is good news but must be backed up by positive action that benefits farmers on the ground, the NFU said today.
The EA’s Spotlight on Business report, which looks at the environmental performance of business and the role of regulation, says that over the past eight years pollution incidents as a result of farming have fallen but highlights further challenges ahead in tackling diffuse pollution.
Spotlight is the EA’s annual report on the environmental performance of business in England and Wales. This year the Agency is taking a look back on what regulation has achieved over the past 10 years and what it needs to achieve in the future.
Responding to the report, NFU vice president Paul Temple said: “Farming’s improving environmental performance is good news, as are the Environment Agency’s commitments to implementing risk-based and more efficient regulation, but, as the legislative burden on farmers continues to increase, more action is needed to realise these good intentions on the ground.
“The NFU is very supportive of voluntary approaches such as the England Catchment Sensitive Delivery Initiative, delivered jointly between the Environment Agency and Natural England, fostering local voluntary action to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture through advice, information sharing, and a capital grant scheme in sensitive catchment areas. This initiative has been very well-received by farmers and shows how much more there is to learn.”
Temple said: “There are many examples where farming has taken a leading role in voluntary action to enhance and protect the environment, and also ensure a long-term and sustainable farming industry. The Voluntary Initiative has had some big influences on farmer behaviour and led to measurable improvements in water quality through promotion of best practice advice in the use of pesticides. Also, with almost 60 per cent of agricultural land in England now in some sort of managed agri-environment scheme agreement, landscape, resource protection, and biodiversity benefits will continue to be delivered.”
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