The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-04-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to protect the UK’s rivers, lakes and wetlands from agricultural pollution, and what assessment they have made of whether the water protection zones are being used effectively in this regard.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Given that environmental protection is a devolved matter, I am replying in regard to the position in England.

This Government is committed to protecting and improving our water environment and supporting competitive agriculture. The recently published river basin management plans set out the actions that we will take over the next six years to improve water quality. The plans promote integrated catchment management and local decision making.

We have a wide range of actions to tackle water pollution from agriculture ranging from advice, voluntary and incentivised rules to regulation. For example, there are regulations to reduce the risk of nitrate pollution in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

Building on these regulations, Countryside Stewardship supports farmers who want to do more than the legal requirements and good practice by providing £400 million in funding to helping improve water quality and to manage flood risk.

We are also working towards better targeting of farm inspections with risk based enforcement that recognises good performance.

In addition to Government action, the agricultural industry is playing its part by developing an offer, explaining how it will help farmers to better protect the water environment.

All of this is underpinned by advice to farmers which is delivered through the Farming Advice Service and Catchment Sensitive Farming, £106 million has been invested through Catchment Sensitive Farming over the past 8 years to mitigate the impact of agricultural activities on the water environment

Further actions at national and local level are planned. Defra recently consulted on new rules to address sediment and phosphate pollution from agriculture. The consultation proposed some clear, simple and basic rules for all farmers, which would make a contribution to further protecting the water environment. Ministers are considering how to proceed in light of this consultation.

We are using a wide variety of measures to protect and improve our water environment. Water Protection Zones (WPZs) are a further tool. The Government is currently considering what further action will be required to meet the conservation objectives for our most precious protected sites. This will consider the full range of mechanisms, including WPZs.