NFU Dairy Board chair responds to Guardian article on water quality

To the editor,

The reasons for water quality issues are often complex and we cannot simply conflate statistics on dairy farm businesses with river pollution, as each river catchment is different, with different activities and industries to take into consideration. (‘Most UK dairy farms ignoring pollution rules as manure spews into rivers’).

Any breach of the regulations must be swiftly corrected and indeed actively avoided by all dairy farmers. Breaches can include cases where farmers fall down on a single regulation which can be remedied quickly and does not lead to a pollution incident. Dairy farmers care about Britain’s rivers and want to see them thriving, which includes making improvements to the quality of the water.

The industry will continue its huge efforts to improve water quality through a range of best practice measures such as careful management and storage of fertiliser and manure. However, the ability to invest in on-farm infrastructure to reduce pollution incidences is also key. Greater access to government schemes such as the Slurry Infrastructure Grant and a reduction in planning restrictions on farm are both vital to enable dairy producers to invest in slurry storage improvements and infrastructure to further protect watercourses.

We know more can be done on farms to improve water quality and dairy farmers across the country are committed to continuing to work with government and regulatory bodies such as the Environment Agency to drive improvements and play their part in protecting the health of the nation’s rivers.

Paul Tompkins, NFU Dairy Board chair