Guidance

Annex 2: Actions to address water and air quality issues

Published 17 January 2024

Applies to England

Annex 2: Actions to address water and air quality issues

The table in this section shows a list of capital items that improve water quality or air quality.

You can use this table along with the other information below, to identify the relevant capital items to address water quality, and air quality priorities in your area. Choosing the right capital items to reduce losses of key water pollutants and ammonia from your farm, will help you to improve the quality of water and air on your farm, and in your local area.

Some capital items are only available in a Countryside Stewardship High and Medium Priority Areas for Water or Air Quality and with the support and approval of Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF). These items are listed in the second table in this annex. To receive support and approval from CSF, the capital items you apply for must address the water or air pollution as affecting that catchment or area. You will need to clearly show how the pollutants are currently reaching a watercourse or underground aquifier. In the case of air, you will need to identify where the ammonia emissions are coming from, and with both water and air you will need to show how the work you propose to do, will prevent these losses.

CSF support and approval will be targeted at those farms where the largest improvements in water and air quality are likely to be achieved. The impact of a water pollutant or ammonia on a sensitive protected site will be considered as part of this.

You will need to show that you have included a suitable range of capital items to prevent the pollutant reaching a watercourse or the atmosphere, for example, rain water goods and drainage to accompany yard concreting. In some cases, work may be needed over a number of years, which means you may need to submit a number of applications. You will need to agree with CSF how this work is phased.

You may also need to think about other areas of the farm to make sure that you are addressing the pollutant. For example, if your work is aimed at reducing sediment you may need to think about reducing run off from fields. You may be able to do this by taking advice from CSF rather than, or as well as, using Countryside Stewardship options.

If you can show you meet these requirements and are able to offer clear improvements in water and air quality from using Countryside Stewardship water, and air quality capital items, you should contact CSF for support and approval.

Resources to help you chose the right item:

• You can find the water and air quality objectives for your local area in your local Statement of Priorities. If your application meets local water and air objectives you will receive a higher score.

• You can use the Countryside Stewardship on-line tool to help you identify the types of capital items you can use to address water and air quality priorities in the local area. You can access the Countryside Stewardship Online Tool by logging on to your Rural Payments account.

• You can use the MAGIC website to find water, and air quality information for your land. On the list in the Table of Contents, choose ‘Countryside Stewardship Targeting & Scoring Layers’, then ‘Water, and then ‘Countryside Stewardship Water Quality Priority Areas’. You can then make this layer transparent by using the slider under ‘Countryside Stewardship Targeting & Scoring Layers’. You will need to navigate to your land and then use the ‘Identify’ tool in order to check the information specific to your land parcels.

Capital items that address pollutant pressures affecting water and air quality and for flood and coastal risk

Item	Code	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing waters	Ground water priority areas- Nitrate	Ground water priority areas - Pesticides	Surface Water Pesticides	Surface water - Nitrate	Surface water (Phosphate+ Sediment)	Flood and Coastal Risk Management and Physical Modification	Air Quality (ammonia)
Automatic slurry scraper	AQ1									X
Low ammonia emission flooring for livestock buildings	AQ2									X
Hedgerow gapping-up	BN7						X	X		X
Planting new hedges	BN11						X	X		X
Planting standard hedgerow tree	TE1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Supply and plant a tree	TE4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Supplement for use of individual tree-shelters	TE5	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks	RP4	X					X
Livestock troughs	LV7	X					X	X
Above ground tanks	RP18	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Bio filters	RP26			X	X
Check dams	RP12	X					X	X
Concrete yard renewal	RP15	X	X	X	X		X			X
Cross drains	RP5	X					X	X
Earth banks and soil bunds	RP9	X					X	X
Fencing	FG1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Sheep netting	FG2	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Rabbit fencing supplement	FG4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
Wooden field gate	FG12	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
First flush rainwater diverters or downpipe filters	RP19	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Floating covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores and lagoons	RP30	X	X			X				X
Gateway relocation	RP2	X					X	X
Hard bases for livestock drinkers	LV3	X					X	X
Hard bases for livestock feeders	LV4	X					X	X
Installation of livestock drinking troughs (in draining pens for freshly dipped sheep)	RP23			X	X
Installation of piped culverts in ditches	RP6	X					X
Lined bio bed plus pesticide loading and wash down area	RP24			X	X
Lined bio bed with existing wash down area	RP25			X	X
Pasture pumps and associated pipework	LV5	X					X		X
Permanent electric fencing	FG3	X
Pipework associated with livestock troughs	LV8	X					X		X
Rainwater goods	RP16	X	X	X	X	X	X
Ram pumps and associated pipework	LV6	X					X	X
Relocation of sheep dips and pens	RP20			X	X
Relocation of sheep pens only	RP21			X	X
Resurfacing of gateways	RP1						X
Roofing (sprayer wash down area, manure storage area, livestock gathering area, slurry stores, silage stores)	RP28	X	X	X	X	X	X
Sediment ponds and traps	RP7	X					X	X
Self- supporting covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores	RP29	X	X			X				X
Sheep dip drainage aprons and sumps	RP22			X	X
Silt filtration dams or seepage barriers	RP10	X					X	X
Sprayer or applicator load and wash down area	RP27			X	X
Storage tanks underground	RP17	X	X			X	X	X		X
Swales	RP11	X					X	X
Water gates	FG15	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Watercourse crossings	RP3	X					X
Yard - underground drainage pipework	RP13	X	X	X	X	X	X
Yard Inspection pit	RP14	X	X	X	X	X	X

Items requiring Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) approval

You must have approval from CSF to apply for certain capital items. These are listed in the table below. If you apply for these and do not have approval, we will remove them from your application.

Code	Item
RP4	Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks
RP13	Yard - underground drainage pipework
RP14	Yard inspection pit
RP15	Concrete Yard Renewal
RP17	Storage tanks underground
RP18	Above ground tanks
RP19	First flush rainwater diverters and downpipe filters
RP20	Relocation of sheep dips and pens
RP21	Relocation of sheep pens only
RP22	Sheep dip drainage aprons and sumps
RP23	Installation of livestock drinking troughs (in draining pens for freshly dipped sheep)
RP24	Lined biobed plus pesticide loading and washdown area
RP25	Lined biobed with existing washdown area
RP27	Sprayer or applicator load and washdown area
RP28	Roofing (sprayer washdown area, manure storage area, livestock gathering area, slurry stores, silage stores)
RP29	Self-supporting covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores
RP30	Floating covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores and lagoons
AQ1	Automatic slurry scraper
AQ2	Low ammonia emission flooring for livestock buildings
TE4	Supply and plant a tree
TE5	Supplement for use of individual tree-shelters
RP31	Equipment to disrupt tramlines in arable areas