Nitrates - reducing water pollution from agriculture
This page covers general queries relating to NVZs or the Nitrates Directive. If you have a specific query concerning the interpretation of the Action Programme measures please refer to the Action Programme Technical Queries.
A. Need for action
2. What is diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA)?
4. What is being done about other sources of water pollution?
B. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
6. Why does the NVZ area need to increase?
C. Action Programme
9. What action is required under the current Action Programme?
10. Why is the current Action Programme being revised?
11. What revised measures are being proposed?
D. Impacts of the proposals
12. Will the proposals reduce nitrate losses?
13. What are the likely costs to farmers of complying with the revised measures?
E. Help and support
15. What advice and guidance will be provided?
A. Need for Action
Q1. Why the need for action?
The Government attaches importance to tackling all forms of water pollution in order to achieve healthy river systems, which will in turn ensure clean drinking water, healthy fisheries, safe bathing water, thriving biodiversity and an improved living environment. The water quality objectives set out in the Water Framework Directive and Nitrates Directive enable action to be taken to address diffuse water pollution.
Q2. What is diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA)?
Diffuse pollution is pollution that does not come from a readily identifiable point source (such as a sewer pipe, a particular factory, or an identifiable chemical spill). Rather, it is the cumulative effect of pollution from lots of small sources, which are generally difficult to identify and isolate, over a large area. Pollutants such as nutrients, sediment, animal faeces and pesticides are generally carried off the land and into the water environment by run-off from rain. Small point source pollution from agriculture, such as leaking slurry or silage containers or contaminated run-off from uncovered hard standings is also relevant.
Q3. Why target agriculture?
Agriculture is now a major polluter of water:
Q4. What is being done about other sources of water pollution?
Work is ongoing to develop measures that tackle other sources of water pollution. In particular, implementation of the EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive has been largely responsible for driving significant investment by water companies in recent years which has led to reductions in pollution from sewage treatment works. Additionally, a consultation on measures to tackle non-agricultural sources of diffuse water pollution will be issued in early 2008.
B. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
The previous review of designations was carried out in 2002 and currently NVZs cover 55% of England. The Defra website has detailed maps showing exactly which fields are located in or out of the NVZ area
However, following the most recent review, it is proposed that the NVZs should be extended to cover about 70% of England. This will mean more farmers will need to comply with the Action Programme.
Revised maps will be published and put on the website in winter 2007 before revised Regulations come into force. An A4 map of the revised NVZs is provided on page 15 of the consultation document.
Q6. Why does the NVZ area need to increase?
Because additional waters have been identified as polluted within the criteria at Q15 below.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones are areas of land which drain to waters which have been identified as polluted because either:
- they have (or are likely to have) nitrate levels above 50 mg per litre, or
- they are (or may become) eutrophic.
These criteria are laid down in the Nitrates Directive.
Q8. Some EU countries have taken a ‘whole territory’ approach to tackling nitrate pollution from agriculture, why doesn’t the UK?
The consultation seeks views on whether we should apply the Action Programme across the whole of England. This is an option permitted under the Nitrates Directive.
Countries which have take the ‘whole territory’ approach have done so, not necessarily because they consider all waters within their territory to be polluted, but for a variety of reasons such as simpler administration or technical difficulties in assessing polluted waters and identifying the relevant NVZs.
If, following the consultation, a decision is made to take the whole territory approach, all farmers in England will be affected by the proposals relating to the Action Programme.
C. Action Programme
Q9. What action is required under the current Action Programme?
The Nitrates Directive specifies what must be included within an Action Programme as a minimum. The main requirements are:
These measures are included in the current Action Programme for England. Full details are available in Guidelines for Farmers in NVZs.
Q10. Why is the current Action Programme being revised?
The Nitrates Directive requires that the Action Programme be reviewed at least every four years and tightened and/or additional measures be introduced, if appropriate. We recently completed a review of the current Action Programme and found that the measures are not achieving an overall consistent downward trend in nitrate losses.
A recent study by the EU Commission shows the UK as having one of the highest levels of nitrate loss in the EU (under its former constitution of 15 member states).
Full details of the review of the current Action Programme are provided in a series of evidence papers that have been published alongside the consultation on the Defra website.
Q11. What revised measures are being proposed?
The proposed revisions to the current Programme will
Full details are provided in the consultation document:
D. Impacts of the proposals
Q12. Will the proposals reduce nitrate losses?
Quantifying environmental benefits is difficult but predictions are that the main proposals in the revised package of measures will reduce nitrate losses by 5.5 to 15.5%. As other proposed measures have not been included in this calculation, the actual percentage change is expected to be greater.
The body of evidence to support our proposals has been published on the Defra website alongside the consultation document.
Q13. What are the likely costs to farmers of complying with the revised measures?
Table 2 in the consultation shows expected costs to industry, in order to comply with the most burdensome measures (the 170 kg per hectare limit and the storage requirement), to be in the region of £43-56 million per annum. This assumes that the NVZs are revised to cover 70% of England and storage costs are spread over 20 years.
The partial Regulatory Impact Assessment accompanying the consultation provides a full discussion of the impacts of the revised Action Programme and NVZs and highlights the potential for some mitigating factors which may bring the overall costs down.
E. Help and support
Q14. In 2002, when the NVZ area was last changed, government support was available to help with the cost of providing manure storage. Does the government intend to provide similar support this time?
There will be no new public money available for supporting farmers to meet revised requirements of the Action Programme, particularly for complying with the manure storage measure.
However, a lead-in period for getting adequate storage in place is proposed and an extensive programme of advice and guidance (including technical and practical workshops) is planned to assist farmers in assessing what they need to do to comply and how best that can be achieved.
The Government is keen to promote innovative manure use and management solutions and will be looking to work with the industry in developing these, e.g. anaerobic digestion.
Q15. What advice and guidance will be provided?
To ensure that farmers are aware of, understand, and are able to fulfil their obligations under the proposed Regulations, the Department is developing a range of advice and guidance. As far as possible, this will be provided by adapting and updating existing mechanisms and tools to be consistent with the proposed Action Programme rules. We will also develop new tools where necessary.
The consultation document provides details of the proposed guidance and seeks views on what type of advice and guidance is considered necessary for implementation of the revised Action Programme.
Page last modified: 21 August 2007
Page published 27 June 2002;