The EAC inquiry intended to focus on the water industry and urban diffuse pollution, however there is increased attention drawn to pollution caused by farming.
The report, in part, blamed intensive livestock and poultry farming as polluters along with water companies.
The committee proposed that each of the major river catchments in England should have a 鈥榥utrient budget鈥� calculated.
It recommended any new poultry farms should not be granted planning permission, should these budgets be exceeded.
In its response, the government ruled out adopting a call for a planning presumption against new livestock developments as it said it could not insist that planning authorities adopt a broad policy against developing farming infrastructure.
鈥淎s we enter a new era of agriculture policy, it鈥檚 vital that future farming schemes enable farmers to invest in new technology and infrastructure to tackle potential pollution issues.鈥�
NFU Environment Forum chair Richard Bramley
Better support for farmers
The government agreed with the EAC report鈥檚 call for farmers to be better supported to reduce nutrient inputs to help reduce pollution pressure on watercourses and pointed to farm support schemes such as ELMs (Environmental Land Management) approach.
The government also suggested that the Sustainable Farming Incentive could also focus on actions to reduce leaching and protect soils via nutrient management and water body buffer zones.
皇家华人continues to highlight the investment made by the industry to improve water quality, with initiatives including the CFE (), T&T () and the VI ().
Future opportunity
In future, there is an opportunity for Defra to provide a blend of advice, payments and grants through the ATP, which supports farmers to deliver productivity and water quality benefits through better nutrient management.
皇家华人has welcomed the Environment Agency's 'advice-led鈥� approach to enforcement, but reiterated that it must be a truly collaborative process that allows farmers to determine the best route to compliance on their farm.
Industry progress
NFU Environment Forum chair Richard Bramley said: 鈥淕ood water quality in our nation鈥檚 rivers is of paramount importance to everyone and farmers want to continue to make their contribution. Farming has already made significant progress, with a 75% reduction in serious incidents year-on-year compared to 2000.
鈥淔armers want to do more to cut pollution levels further. Schemes like , which provides farmers with advice and grant support to combat run-off, has been successful and it鈥檚 encouraging the government wants to expand this.聽
鈥淔armers will continue to adapt and make improvements on their farms to ensure they can protect the environment while producing the nation鈥檚 food. As we enter a new era of agriculture policy, it鈥檚 vital that future farming schemes enable farmers to invest in new technology and infrastructure to tackle potential pollution issues. It鈥檚 positive that the government is looking at this, particularly with slurry infrastructure, and it鈥檚 crucial it is accessible to as many interested farmers as possible.鈥�