Consultation outcome

Implementation of the Nitrates Directive in England 2013-2016

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
This consultation has concluded

Read the full outcome

Government response

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Government response – summary

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Summary of responses

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Detail of outcome


Original consultation

Summary

The Nitrates Directive is intended to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

The Nitrates Directive is intended to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. We are required to review our implementation of it every four years. Since its agreement in1991, implementation in the UK has evolved as we have developed our understanding of the Directive itself and as the evidence base has grown. The last review, in 2007, eventually resulted in the designation of 62% of England as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) and introduced a strengthened range of measures in the Nitrates Action Programme that farms within NVZs must comply with.

The purpose of this Consultation Paper was three-fold:

  • to seek your views on options for revised Action Programme measures to control nitrogen pollution from agricultural sources from 2013 onwards;
  • to ask whether you think we should apply these measures within discrete Nitrate Vulnerable Zones or throughout the whole of England; and
  • to set out some proposals to rationalise the Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations 2010.

If the measures are applied in discrete Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, this consultation also tells you:

  • how we intend to identify those Nitrate Vulnerable Zones; and
  • about the process for challenging the designation of land as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.

Useful Tools

NVZ Soft Boundaries have been published on the EA’s WIYBY (What’s in your back yard) site. Zoom in to see the maps. If you click the blue and white “i” button in the legend it takes you to a page of further information with links to the Defra and WG websites.

More information

Documents

Consultee list

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Evidence document: The evidence base for assessing the impact of the NVZ Action Programme

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Evidence document: The environmental impact of the 2008 Nitrates Action Programme

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Evidence document: The Economic Impact of the 2008 Nitrates Action Programme

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Evidence document: Manure Nitrogen Efficiency Coefficients

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Evidence document: Pollutant losses from solid manures stored in temporary field heaps

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Evidence document: Pollutant losses following organic manure applications in the month following the end of the closed period

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Evidence document: Nitrates Action Programme- impacts on air pollutant emissions

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Consultation letter

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Consultation document

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Impact assessment

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Questions and answers

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Summary of questions and feedback form – Please use this document to record your comments and return them to the address on the form

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Updates to this page

Published 20 December 2011

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