10/09/04
Water UK responds to the government’s consultation on 'Developing measures to promote catchment-sensitive farming' - a sound policy basis for reducing water pollution from agriculture.
Pollution from agriculture is now the biggest, though not the only, damaging influence on the UK’s water environment. It also costs the nation dear - over £200 million a year and set to rise dramatically.
Water UK is pleased that the joint Defra-Treasury consultation has faced up to these problems: raw water resources matter very much to water companies and their customers for reasons of both cost and quality of life.
The consultation asks for views on a comprehensive list of measures ranging from voluntary agreements to a tax on fertilisers. Water UK believes that genuinely catchment-sensitive farming, rather than a tax, is the best way to reduce this form of diffuse pollution from thousands of individual sources.
In brief, farming is the cause of the problem, but the solutions are also to be found in the farming community.
To read the full response click here
Water UK would like to see:
• advice and help for farmers in reducing the pollution from their farms;
• all farms carry out nutrient and water audits to assess the risk of pollution; and
• groups of farmers devising local solutions to local problems.
Making this happen will need the cooperation of stakeholders, including water companies and special interest groups. However, the proposed appointment of independent catchment officers could really make the difference. The officers’ role would be in improving information and skills and,in the words of the consultation, “bringing people together within local areas to understand and address water quality problems”.
Seed capital from government would be needed, but these solutions offer the real benefit of meeting water quality and environmental objectives while maintaining farm incomes.
Water UK is convinced that, with support and encouragement UK farmers are capable of excellent environmental performance and looks forward to working with them to implement this important agenda.
Ends
More information
Jacob Tompkins, Policy Development Adviser, 020 7344 1817 or
Barrie Clarke, Director of Communication, 020 7344 1804
