The main aim of the Farming Rules for Water is to encourage landowners to take reasonable precautions to prevent diffuse pollution from runoff or soil erosion.
Rule no. 7 specifies that significant soil erosion must be prevented by poaching from livestock on any land within 5m of inland freshwater and coastal waters.
What will an inspector check for?
- Poaching on a stretch of land (at least 2m wide and 20m long) next to an inland area of freshwater or coastal water
What can you do to avoid a breach to the regulations?
Ensure livestock is prevented from compacting soil by poaching within 5m of an inland freshwater or coastal water. Move livestock to prevent poaching and bankside erosion.
- To keep livestock away, fence watercourses
- If outwintering livestock, do this on well-drained, level fields.
- If using livestock feeders, you must make sure they are not placed:
- within 10m from inland freshwaters or coastal waters
- within 50m of a spring, well or borehole
- where risk factors mean there’s a significant risk of pollution
What will happen if the EA finds you have a non-compliance of the rules?
- The EA will work with you to find a solution on a timescale identifying any actions to be implemented.
- A follow-up visit from the EA will then be carried out with photographic evidence required.
- If a high risk of pollution occurs, enforcement action will be taken.
Sources:
8 new rules for water and what they mean for farmers – Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)
Rules for farmers and land managers to prevent water pollution – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)