This project is part of a wider multi-year programme scrutinising the implementation of nature friendly farming in England and Northern Ireland. Nature friendly farming can be described as a range of Government activities (such as regulations, voluntary agri-environment schemes (AES) and other rural grant schemes) that ensure agricultural land is managed in a way that protects and improves the environment. The overarching objective of the overall programme is to provide a critical appraisal of the capacity of AES to support the achievement of long-term biodiversity targets and commitments.
This project specifically appraised the contributions of AES to the UK Government’s environmental goal of Clean and Plentiful Water in the Environmental Improvement Plan, in particular the achievement of the Environment Act 2021 (EA21) agriculture water target that the load of (a) total nitrogen, (b) total phosphorus, and (c) sediment entering the water environment through agricultural diffuse pollution is, by 2038, at least 40% lower than the 2018 baseline. The project analysed the extent to which nature friendly farming could reduce diffuse agricultural pollution at farm level, aggregating the assessment to a national scale across different farm types, providing an illustration of the prospects of meeting the EA21 agriculture water target across various scenarios.
Disclaimer
RSK ADAS Ltd (ADAS) were commissioned by the Office for Environmental Protection to undertake an appraisal of agri-environment scheme actions for achieving agriculture water pollution targets in England. The views provided in this report are those of ADAS and do not represent the opinion or position of the OEP. Some of the analysis in this report was used to inform the OEP’s report Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2024/2025.