New research project to tackle water pollution from agriculture
Farmers are getting involved in one of the largest studies of its kind to establish the best ways of halting water pollution from agriculture.
皇冠体育appy will develop an understanding of how pollutants move through river systems and will test up to 80 methods for reducing their impact. 皇冠体育appse include satellite technology (GPS) to ensure fertiliser is spread in the right places; better-designed farm yards to stop pollution draining into fields and rivers; and designing ditches and ponds to soak up substances.
皇冠体育app Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC) project has been launched by Defra, the Environment Agency and the Welsh Assembly Government. Around 40 other organisations are involved.
Jim Paice, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, said:
鈥淭his large-scale project will test how farmers can reduce their environmental footprint while continuing to farm profitably and productively.
鈥淢ost rivers are at risk from agricultural pollution and one-in-five currently do not reach the required quality standards, so this hugely important research will help farmers make the right decisions.鈥�
皇冠体育app project begins by monitoring research activities in three river catchments: Eden (Cumbria), Wensum (Norfolk) and Hampshire Avon, which represent a broad range of landscapes.聽 It covers a whole range of farm types including sheep and beef in Cumbria, dairy, and arable and pig farming in East Anglia.
Notes
皇冠体育app five-year project, costing 拢6.5million, is a joint project with Defra, the Environment Agency and Welsh Assembly Government. It brings together 40 organisations including scientists, farmers, regulators, policy makers, charities and industry groups. It is part of the 鈥淟iving with Environmental Change鈥� programme - an unprecedented 拢1billion, ten year partnership of organisations funding and using environmental research including the research councils, government departments, devolved administrations and delivery agencies.
皇冠体育app definition of 鈥榓gricultural pollution鈥� includes animal waste, chemicals, nutrients such as fertiliser, and sediment.
皇冠体育app initiative aims to ensure that Defra鈥檚 research on water is balanced against the need to reduce greenhouse gasses, protect biodiversity, reduce flooding and produce food.
皇冠体育app team hopes to develop knowledge and ideas that can be applied across the country by farmers, regulators and policy makers.
Examples of methods being tested include:
- Improved management of soil and nutrients;
- Creation of wetlands, buffer strips, and planting trees;
- Improved approaches to cropping such as 鈥榮trip-cropping鈥� where only narrow bands are ploughed and sown;
- Improving the design of farmyards to reduce pollution sources such as slurry stores, and improving drainage on farm tracks;
- Moving high risk activities away from steeply sloping land.