Helping
Welsh farming to become more economically
viable, as well as environmentally sound,
is key to how the Agency is aiming to cut
red tape by working closer with the industry.
Featuring examples of
farmers sharing their experiences and working
practices, the guide will demonstrate the
benefits that practical changes can bring
to farm profitability.
It's designed to build
on the significant improvements seen over
the last 20 years as farmers have changed
the way they manage the land to cut down
on pollution incidents.
It includes workable
and realistic ideas for improving water
quality in line with the new EU Water Framework
Directive, which aims to create a top quality
water environment that can support us for
the future.
Elwyn Jones, an agricultural
contractor in north Wales, shows how better
use of slurry can save 40% on fertilizer
costs. Elwyn specialises in slurry spreading,
using a calibrated tanker with slurry injectors.Also
featured in the Wales Federation of Young
Farmers Clubs publication ‘Breaking New
Ground’, Elwyn said:
“Slurry is an important
alternative to large quantities of bagged
fertilizer. It can save farmers a lot of
money when applied at the right time and
in the right place.”
Using this method can
also dramatically reduce the amount of slurry
lost from run-off during wet weather and
ending up in local rivers.
Chris Mills, Director,
Environment Agency Wales, said:
“Farming is a vital
part of the Welsh economy and culture and
is not immune from the current financial
pressures. This guide shows how better environmental
performance can help the economic viability
of the industry. Many farmers already recognise
this and are seeing the benefits on their
farm.
“We want to do our bit.
Which is why we are aiming to work closer
than ever with the industry, organising
free workshops and on farm discussions so
we can provide farmers with the information
they need in a way that suits them.
“Farmers have made progress
over the years to reduce pollution incidents
helping our rivers to become cleaner. But
we need to keep on improving and we want
farmers to use this new guide to benefit
their business and the environment.”
Daniel Downes, Wales
YFC Rural Affairs Committee Chairman, said;
“Working with Environment
Agency Wales recently on a joint farm walk,
our members were encouraged to see how advice
from EAW was not only able to support legislative
requirements but also represented a common
sense approach and could show how to be
more efficient and save money, all aspects
that we welcome from the agency.”
Dai Davies, NFU Cymru
President, added;
“NFU Cymru welcomes
this bilingual publication. Best Farming
Practice must be the way forward and not
the imposition of costly, complicated, unwieldy
and outdated legislation. Farmers in Wales
will respond to sound, feet on the ground
helpful hints, as evidenced by the water
quality of our rural rivers which have never
been cleaner.”
FUW president Gareth
Vaughan said:
"The Best Farming
Practices Guide is based on practical studies
on real farms, rather than just a desktop
exercise, and it will therefore be invaluable
to those who can draw parallels with the
farms concerned, as well as being a useful
point of reference for all farms across
Wales."
Best Farming Practices
is available free to farmers, growers, land
managers and farm business advisers. You
can download it from www.environment-agency.gov.uk/bestfarmingpractices.
You can also order your own copy by telephoning
08708 506506, please reference code BFP004.
For more information contact Curig Jones
on 029 2046 6251 or email curig.jones@environment-agency.gov.uk
+ More
New rules for farmers
to prevent nitrate pollution
Farmers and land managers
in Derbyshire are being invited to sign
up to a free seminar in the New Year which
aims to help them better prepare for preventing
nitrate pollution.
Farmers and land managers
in Derbyshire are being invited to sign
up to a free seminar in the New Year which
aims to help them better prepare for preventing
nitrate pollution.
The event will take
place on Wednesday 7 January 2009 at the
Agricultural Business Centre in Bakewell.
Around 60 per cent of
the nitrate pollution found in rivers, lakes
and groundwaters is caused by agriculture;
and the new Nitrate Pollution Prevention
Regulations, which come into force next
week (1 January 2009), are a vital measure
in protecting and sustaining the quality
of our water supplies.
Aileen Kirmond, Head
of Land Quality at the Environment Agency,
said: “The majority of nitrate that’s found
in our waterways comes from fertilisers,
including animal slurry.
“Fertiliser is an important
addition to soils to ensure strong growth
of grasslands and crops, but if you spread
too much or at the wrong time, the nitrates
can be lost into rivers, lakes and groundwater.
"High levels of
nitrates can cause problems for our aquatic
plants and animals from the smallest stream
right down to our marine environment.
“Nitrates can also be
an expensive substance for water companies
to remove from drinking supplies during
treatment.
“The problem is now
so wide spread that almost 70 per cent of
land in England now falls into a Nitrate
Vulnerable Zone (NVZ), and under the new
regulations farmers in these at-risk areas
must ensure they do not spread excess nitrates
onto their land.”
NVZs are those areas
that drain into waters that are polluted,
or are likely to become polluted without
action.
The free seminar, run
for the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment
Agency, will cover:
• Background to the
new NVZ rules
• Planning nitrate use and the nitrogen
requirement limits of different crops
• Storage of livestock manures
• Field application of both organic manures
and manufactured fertilisers
• How compliance with the new NVZ rules
will be checked
• Support, advice, and a question &
answer session.
+ More
Environment Agency clears
Gloucester flood blockage
The Environment Agency
attended India Road, Gloucester, today (19
December 2008) to remove items that had
contributed to the recent local flooding
by blocking a culvert.
The Environment Agency
attended India Road, Gloucester, today (19
December 2008) to remove items that had
contributed to the recent local flooding
by blocking a culvert.
Following flooding in
India Road last weekend, Environment Agency
officers carried out an inspection of the
area. In a culvert at the junction of India
Road and Overbury Road they found a blockage
caused by three lorry tyres, a ladder and
loads of pallets.
These items would almost
certainly have contributed to the flooding
suffered by residents last week. They were
removed by contractors today.
Technical Specialist,
George Tomlin, says “This is a case where
someone’s negligent activity has contributed
to the flooding and increased the damage
and distress suffered by local residents.
“Flooding is a natural
event and cannot be prevented completely.
However, people should be careful not to
leave items on riverbanks where they can
be carried downstream by floodwater. They
can easily get stuck in culverts, like these
were, blocking the flow and causing water
to back up.”
Your clutter can help
save lives and the environment
How donating your unwanted clothes, books
and household items for reused by charity
shops can also relieving pressure on the
environment.
+ More
Reusing goods will ensure
goodwill for charities and the environment
this Christmas
The Environment Agency
and Oxfam are urging the UK public to give
twice this festive season by ensuring their
unwanted clothes, books and household items
are reused by charity shops – while also
relieving pressure on the environment.
Research undertaken
by Oxfam and Marks and Spencer earlier this
year showed that there are unworn clothes
worth more than £4.7 billion gathering
dust in the nation’s cupboards. While the
Environment Agency estimates that more than
1million tonnes of clothes and other textiles
are sent to landfill every year – contributing
to the greenhouse gasses that cause climate
change.
Environment Agency Head
of Waste, Liz Parkes, said: “We need to
reduce, reuse and recycle before we ever
consider throwing things away. It’s crazy
that quality clothes, books and household
items – that are being replaced by Christmas
presents – end up in landfills rather than
being reused through charity shops.
“We have tough but important
targets to divert biodegradable materials
from landfill in order to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. In addition, by keeping our
precious materials in productive use for
as long as possible, we need to extract
fewer raw materials from the environment.
“We all know the importance
of buying products such as plastic bottles
and cans that are made from recycled materials
- but you can also reduce your environmental
footprint by buying reusable items like
clothes and books from charity shops.”
Reduce: the amount of
waste produced in the first place
Reuse: products and goods where possible
Recycle: goods and materials that cannot
be reused, so raw materials are conserved
Recover: energy from materials through energy
from waste, composting or anaerobic digestion
Disposal: landfill waste as a last resort.
Oxfam generates more
than £20 million each year by selling
donated items through its 730 shops in the
UK – and in the process ensures that thousands
of tonnes of unwanted clothes, books and
other items are reused rather then cluttering
up the nation’s wardrobes and shelves.
Oxfam’s deputy director
of trading Barney Tallack said: “Every January
people around the UK clear out their homes,
and Oxfam can make good use of many of these
unwanted items to make money to tackle poverty
.
“We are in urgent need
of clothes, books and household items –
and as the credit crunch takes hold, we
need them more than ever. It doesn’t cost
anything to donate items to Oxfam, but the
money we raise from them makes a colossal
difference and really does save lives.”
The recent downturn
in the recyclable materials market means
this Christmas/New Year period is an important
time to reduce waste and reuse goods, even
before recycling.
Ms Parkes, continued:
“Prices for materials on the recycling market
have stabilised and more materials are moving
through the export market than they were
a month ago. People can be confident in
using the recycling service provided by
their local authority, but at the same time
they need to ensure quality items are reused
– producing an even better outcome for the
environment.”
ENDS
Notes to editors: Methane
is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide
as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG), and accounts
for 7.5% (CO2 equivalent) of the UK’s GHG
emissions. Biodegradable waste breaking
down in landfills (such as paper, cardboard,
textiles, food and garden waste) accounts
for more than 40% of all methane emissions.
