Natural England

The key elements of a programme to help farmers tackle the causes of harmful water pollution are now in place, Environment Minister Ian Pearson announced today.

The England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative, launched in December 2005, targets priority catchments across England where changes in farm practices are being sought to reduce water pollution from agriculture. It is estimated that the cost of removing harmful pesticides and nitrates from drinking water is £7 a year for every water customer.

Thirty-nine dedicated Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers are now in post and have begun work, preparing catchment appraisals and drawing up action plans. Catchment steering groups are being set up with representatives from the farming sector, environmental bodies and water companies to oversee local delivery.

Contracts for providing local advice and technical support for farmers and land managers have been awarded and a range of activities starts this autumn in all forty priority catchments including farm visits, farmer workshops and seminars and farm demonstrations.

The Initiative is also supporting existing projects in other catchments as Associate CSF projects. Twenty of these have now been selected.

Work is also proceeding to introduce a Catchment Sensitive Farming capital grants scheme in 2007-2008.

Environment Minister Ian Pearson said: “Catchment Sensitive Farming is taking a significant step forward with this Initiative, as it must, if we are to tackle diffuse water pollution from agriculture.

“Defra and its partners - Natural England and the Environment Agency, have created the conditions for the farming industry to play its part and become more sustainable. Now attention turns to what happens in the catchments and on farms. This is where we need to see changes.”

Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, noted: "Farmers and land managers have a major role to play in improving England's wildlife and wetlands. We're determined to make these partnerships work. An integrated approach to the management of land, water, flora and fauna is critical for the conservation and enhancement of the natural environment.

"As a lead partner offering advice to farmers, Natural England will help bring the management of these important natural resources together."

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, added: "This is an important initiative for farmers, the Environment Agency and our delivery partners. It supports simple, low-cost activities that could make a big difference to our environment. This is the right framework for partnership and action at a local level.

"We hope that farmers and land managers grasp this opportunity to show how we can continue to work together to improve water quality."

Notes for Editors

1. The England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative (ECSFDI) was announced by Ministers on 19 December 2005. See http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/051219a.htm. More information on the elements of the ECSFDI can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/environment/water/csf. This includes full contact details for the thirty-nine Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers and information on the priorities for action in ECSFDI catchments.

2. As part of the ECSFDI, funding has been made available to support a number of existing projects in other catchments as Associate Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) projects. After a tendering exercise in the summer, twenty projects were selected to receive funding of £886K over two years. All of the Associate CSF projects selected are aimed at working with farmers and land managers to tackle diffuse water pollution from agriculture. Details of the projects selected can be found on the website.

3. Also as part of the ECSFDI £100K has been allocated for technical support from the Pesticides Voluntary Initiative (VI). This funding has been used to refine understanding of pesticide risks within the priority catchments. Consequently, (as reported in the Farmers Weekly of 1 September 2006 (pp 56-57) the VI will deliver enhanced advisory support for the ECSFDI in five catchments: the River Teme and River Lugg in the Severn River Basin District (RBD), the River Wensum and Yare and Waveney in the Anglian RBD and the Yorkshire Ouse, Nidd and Swale in Humber RBD.

4. Earlier this year tenders were invited for the delivery of advisory activities in the ECSFDI catchments. These activities include the provision of specialist advice on topics such as agronomy, the management of nutrients, soils, manures and pesticides as well as on-farm visits, farm resource protection planning, farmer workshops, farm walks and demonstrations etc. Contracts have now been awarded to thirteen contractors for these activities. More detail is available on the website.

5. The main purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to determine whether the programme has achieved the objectives of raising awareness of diffuse water pollution from agriculture and encouraging early voluntary action by farmers and land managers to tackle it. The monitoring and evaluation framework includes farmer engagement, awareness and attitudes and changes in farm practices. It also covers environmental monitoring although it is recognised that water quality responses are generally not likely within the time scale of the programme. Models will be used to enhance the monitoring work and to predict the environmental improvements. More detail is available on the website.

6. Earlier this year Defra consulted on a possible £5 million catchment sensitive capital grants scheme as part of the ECSFDI, for 2007-2008 (http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/csf-grantscheme/index.htm). Ministers have decided to proceed with this scheme. A summary of responses to the consultation and the Defra reply to the key points from the consultation can be found on the website.

7. The initial projected budget for the ECSFDI was £25 million over two years - £10 million in 2006-07 and £15 million in 2007-2008. Current estimates, based on the latest Departmental budget, are that the ECSFDI will cost Defra about £8.6 million in 2006-07 and £13.2 million in 2007-2008.