Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if it is the policy of the Government’s forthcoming Clean Air Strategy to use the polluter pays principle as the basis for an effective regulatory framework to reduce air and water pollution from farm fertilisers, and to reverse the impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on sensitive wildlife habitats.

The Government has committed to ambitious targets to reduce emissions of air pollutants, including ammonia, which impact on human health and the environment. These targets require the UK to reduce ammonia emissions by 8% and 16% by 2020 and 2030 respectively, compared to 2005 levels.

We are already taking action to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. In 2017, we provided practical help to farmers to reduce ammonia emissions by providing on-farm advice and grants for slurry store covers. In April 2018, we are also introducing new rules for all farmers in England to improve water quality.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan has set out our intention to work with farmers to use fertilisers more efficiently to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture and its impact on the environment.

We will publish a Clean Air Strategy, setting out more detail on how we will work towards these goals, for consultation in 2018.