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Land management and environmental issues

This section provides a series of guidance pages on key issues concerning environmental and land management. A number of topics have been grouped together for ease of reference:

Other topics covered within the environmental management section are common land, rights of way, climate change, air and water and water courses.

Focus: Agri-environment schemes

The Rural Development Programme for England includes support for conservation and improvement of the rural environment, largely through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme. [Further information]

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Environmental management

  • Land management
    The land management section provides a series of guidance pages on fertilisers, heather and grass, hill farming, grazing, pesticides, set-aside, managing SSSIs and weed control
  • Landscape features
    Landscape features covers drystone walls, hedgerows, woodlands and trees.
  • Land use and planning
    The land use and planning pages cover planning permission, permitted developments, planning policy and Environmental Impact Assessments. It also provides links to evaluation and  reclamation of mineral sites
  • Code of good agricultural practice (COGAP)
    The Code of Good Agricultural Practice is designed to provide practical guidance to help farmers, growers and land managers avoid causing pollution while protecting natural resources and allowing economic agriculture to continue.

Other topics covered within the environmental management section are common land, rights of way (see also Public Access pages), climate change, air and water and water courses.

See also:

  • Environmental Impact Assessment
    Information about the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scheme for uncultivated land and semi-natural areas.
  • Farmland conservation
    The role of agriculture in conservation.
  • Fertilisers
    Information on the fertiliser sector including details of the legislative responsibilities under EC Regulations and domestic law.
  • Soil
    Soil is a fundamental and irreplaceable natural resource. See the soil section for further details, including information on the soils elements of cross compliance and environmental stewardship.
  • Observatory Programme
    This has been set up to monitor the impacts on the environment of the 2003 CAP reform measures and other key drivers of agricultural change.
Further information

Whole Farm Approach
Defra's electronic service to develop an integrated access point to Defra and related agencies for farmers and growers.

Page last modified: 6 January 2009
Page published: 1 July 2006