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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) track the effectiveness of measures to reduce nitrogen leaching from agriculture.

The Environment Agency (EA) is tasked with enforcing the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations (Nitrate Regulations) and the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution Regulations (Farming Rules for Water (FRfW)).

The EA monitors nitrate concentrations in surface and groundwaters and any changes in water quality. The Nitrate Regulations include requirements on maximum application rates for manures and fertilisers containing nitrogen.

Under the FRfW, land managers are required to plan their applications of organic manures and manufactured fertilisers, taking account of up-to-date soil sampling. This ensures that they do not apply more nitrogen than the soil and crop need, which would present significant risk of diffuse agricultural pollution.

Defra have statutory duties to periodically review the effectiveness of the Nitrate Regulations and the FRfW. Though these reviews are overdue, this Government is prioritising finalising them and aim to publish them as soon as practically possible.