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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what initiatives are in place to support farmers in reducing nutrient run-off into waterways to protect aquatic ecosystems.

The levels of pollution in our waterways are unacceptable. We are working with farmers through a suite of measures to reduce agricultural pollution and protect our waters.

We regulate the agricultural activities that could cause environmental harms and require farmers to take steps to reduce and prevent diffuse pollution. The EA have checked compliance against the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Pollution (England) Regulations 2018. All the actions the EA requires from farmers will result in a reduction of diffuse pollution, through run-off or leaching, whether this is from investment in slurry storage to regulating herd density in a nitrate vulnerable zone.

The Catchment Sensitive Farming programme provides farmers one-to-one advice about how to produce food in a way that protects water and the wider environment. The EA’s advice led regulatory approach has produced excellent results, however regulatory powers are used when required.

Where farmers want to go further, Environmental Land Management schemes pay them for the delivery of environmental benefits that include activities to improve water quality.