Agriculture and the water environment: 2026 report
Published 30 June 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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Foreword
Farmers are at the heart of England’s countryside. As stewards of over two-thirds of our land, they feed the nation, shape our landscapes and play a vital role in managing our water and building resilience to climate change. I am enormously grateful for the work that so many farmers do every day to care for the environment alongside their businesses.
This is our first annual agriculture report, and I want to be clear about why we have produced it. Transparency matters. The public, farmers, and our partners deserve to understand what the evidence tells us, what we are doing about it, and where we still need to go further. It covers our regulatory inspections over the past 5 years as well as giving insights into our wider work to drive compliance in the sector.
A thriving agricultural sector is essential to England’s food security, economic growth and national resilience, yet global pressures are making the cost of doing business harder than ever. The Environment Agency has a vital role to play in supporting that ambition. Environmental compliance is not a barrier to productivity; in many cases it drives it. Cleaner water, healthier soils and better nutrient management make farms more efficient, more attractive to supply chains and better placed to access government funding schemes. We want to be an enabler of sustainable growth, not an obstacle to it.
Agriculture is one of the largest sources of water pollution in England, and that is a challenge we must face honestly and together. Since 2021, our expanded inspection programme has seen us work directly with thousands of farmers. Over 19,000 verified environmental improvements have already been completed – real, tangible progress. But serious pollution incidents are not declining, and we owe it to farmers and the public to be honest about that too.
Our approach will always be to support before we enforce, and I look forward to continuing to work with the sector to build on this progress.
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency
Executive summary
The Environment Agency’s agriculture report 2026 is the first time we have reported in detail on agriculture. Its purpose is to inform our customers, partner organisations and the wider public on how we work with farmers and share our insights on the performance of the sector, with the aim of reducing the impact of agricultural activity on the environment. This report covers the financial years from 2021 to 2026 and includes:
- the impact of agriculture on the water environment
- how we work with farmers to improve the water environment
- water resilience – managing the risk of flooding on farmland, abstraction and water management
- how we regulate intensive pig and poultry farming through environmental permitting
- how we are using new innovative technologies
- alignment with our EA2030 strategy for healthy air, land and water supporting nature’s recovery
Food security is reliant on an agriculture sector that can maximise productivity whilst maintaining and enhancing our environment. 68% of the land in England is farmed or used for agriculture, and agricultural activity contributes around 40% of water pollution nationally – it is the leading source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in our waterways. The scale and diversity of the sector mean there are both significant opportunities and challenges for achieving progress.
In the financial year 2025 to 2026, our agriculture officers have carried out 4,410 inspections of non-permitted farms, bringing the total since April 2021, to over 19,000 inspections improving compliance with regulations for water quality. Over this period, 48% of these inspections found non-compliance issues. We have issued over 27,000 improvement actions and over 2,700 enforcement responses. Technological innovations such as the Environment Agency’s Agricultural Land Environmental Risk and Opportunity Tool (ALERT), drone imagery and remote sensing have improved efficiency, targeting and supported our farm inspection programme.
Government funded schemes – including Countryside Stewardship, the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Landscape Recovery – support over 6.1 million hectares of farmland, enhancing biodiversity and water quality. We provide specialist advice to government in the design of these schemes, and are the lead delivery body, alongside Natural England, for Landscape Recovery projects.
Water abstraction by agriculture rivals the requirements of public supply in some areas, especially in the summer months. Over 1,600 abstraction licence inspections were conducted in the 2025 to 2026 financial year. Farmers also play a vital role in natural flood management, supported by Catchment Sensitive Farming and environmental land management schemes.
Additional funding secured in the 2025 spending review will enable us to increase annual inspections incrementally over the next three years from 4,000 to 6,000 by 2029. We will also expand our use of innovative techniques, like remote sensing, and how we use data to inform our approaches and the measurement of outcomes.
This report highlights that environmental protection, food security and economic growth are interconnected. Through smarter regulation and stronger relationships, we want to support a resilient farming sector that safeguards England’s water for all.
Introduction
A thriving farming industry is critical to England’s economic growth and food security, as are ensuring clean and plentiful waters. These objectives are not competing interests. While we acknowledge the significant pressures facing farmers, agriculture must also take responsibility for protecting the natural resources on which it depends.
This report supports the Environment Agency’s EA2030 vision of healthy air, land and water supporting nature’s recovery. It focuses on the effect of agricultural activity on water, the primary area that we regulate.
Further information on farming in England, including metrics on air pollution and waste, can be found in:
- the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) agriculture in the UK dashboard
- Defra’s farming evidence pack
- our Chief Regulator’s report
The metrics in this report are based on fiscal year and therefore may differ to that in other reports.
Agriculture and the water environment
19,018 inspections conducted April 2021 to March 2026
Agriculture shapes much of England’s landscape, with over 100,000 farms covering 68% of the country’s land. Farming activities can have a significant effect on the water quality of rivers and groundwaters and the sector faces growing pressure to mitigate the impacts of wider societal issues. This includes allowing land to flood and managing organic residues, such as sewage sludge and other materials spread to land.
Farming and food production are increasingly vulnerable to climate change, with droughts and floods posing significant challenges. Yet, agriculture can support water conservation and flood management, helping to slow the flow of water and adapting to land use change.
As highlighted in the Independent Water Commission report (June 2025), agriculture is on average the most significant sector adversely affecting 40% of the water bodies in England (2019 data). This data will be updated in late 2026. It is recognised that this figure will vary at a local scale, but it gives an indication to the national scale of the issue. The main pollutants in water from farming are:
- nutrients – estimates indicate that agriculture is responsible for approximately 60% of nitrogen in water and 28% of phosphorus in rivers in England and Wales
- chemicals including pesticides, veterinary medicines and emerging chemicals (such as organic chemicals and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) found in materials spread to land)
- faecal bacteria and pathogens
- soil run-off and erosion from fields (known as sediment when carried away by water)
- microplastics – if not properly treated by the supplier can be particularly prevalent in sewage sludge, compost and food based digestate – and emerging issues such as crop cover films and artificial turf disintegration
As the water industry invests in improvements through their asset management plans, the proportional contribution of nutrients from agriculture will grow until it is the main pollution source by 2030, even accounting for anticipated reductions from the sector.
Improved efficiency, regulatory compliance, and reductions in pollution incidents are important elements in improving sustainable farming and support the delivery of Environmental Improvement Plan targets, including clean and plentiful water.
Our regulatory work with the agriculture sector to improve water quality
49 serious category 1 pollution incidents caused by farming activities, April 2021 to March 2026
Our officers work with farmers to increase their levels of compliance with environmental regulations, to help protect and enhance the environment. The main agricultural regulations for non-permitted farms to protect and improve water quality are:
- Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) Storage Regulations (The Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (England) Regulations 2010)
- Farming Rules for Water (The Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018)
- Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) under The Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015
- Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989
- Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) for protecting groundwater
The Environment Agency is also responsible for regulating permitted intensive pig and poultry farms under EPR. Poultry farms with a capacity of more than 40,000 birds, and pig farms with a capacity of more than 2,000 places for production pigs greater than 30 kilograms (or more than 750 places for sows), require an environmental permit to operate. Under EPR we regulate free-range poultry but not outdoor pigs.
In 2022, the government allocated £4.7m per year to the Environment Agency to support improvements in the environmental performance of the farming sector, funding a ten‑fold increase in non-permitted farm inspections, to 4,000 annually. This was supported by the recruitment of over 100 additional agricultural regulatory officers, most of whom have backgrounds in farming or working with farmers. We developed a risk‑based inspection methodology focused on farms and catchments posing the greatest risk to water quality. The programme prioritises dairy and beef farms, reflecting evidence that these sectors account for the highest number of agricultural pollution incidents. We use a catchment‑based approach, targeting areas with high livestock densities or poor water quality.
In line with Defra requirements, additional emphasis is placed on catchments draining into water‑dependent Natura 2000 sites, particularly those with Diffuse Water Pollution Plans, Nutrient Neutrality catchments, and other protected sites such as the Lyme Bay shellfisheries, which are especially vulnerable to pollution pressures. We also consider the ecological status of waterbodies under the Water Framework Directive, including the reasons for failing to achieve good status and the level of confidence in agricultural contributions to those pressures. Local inspections are also undertaken where specific issues arise, such as failing bathing waters or emerging pollution risks. Funding awarded through the 2025 spending review will see inspections increase to 6,000 farms per year by 2029 and a greater level of follow‑up on improvement actions that have been identified during an inspection.
During an inspection, we work with farmers by providing regulatory advice and guidance, and issuing improvement actions that reflect individual circumstances, taking a proportionate approach based on the risk to the environment. Our officers have all been trained in mental health and wellbeing issues and are mindful of pressures on farm businesses, including the costs and scale of actions required.
Environment Agency officer on a farm inspection
To support farmers, we have produced:
These are complemented with:
- guidance for farmers to support them on compliance with water-based agricultural regulations
- tailored campaigns to support preparation for winter
Between April 2021 and March 2026, we carried out 19,018 inspections at 15,006 non-permitted farms; 9,151 (48%) farms were non-compliant with at least one aspect of the regulations assessed. We have identified approximately 34,000 farms in the priority areas we are targeting and have inspected approximately 44% of the highest risk farms in these targeted catchments.
Figure 1 shows an increase in the number of annual non-permitted farm inspections over the last 5 financial years, increasing from 1,180 in 2021 to 2022 to 4,410 in 2025 to 2026. The annual target set for the year is proportional to the number of officers in place to carry out inspections at the start of the year. Inspection numbers were greatest in 2023 to 2024 as there were less actions from previous inspections for officers to follow up.
Figure 1: Number of Environment Agency non-permitted farm inspections April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year) (includes ‘remote sensing’ inspections)
| Year | Annual inspections | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 1,803 | 2,031 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 3,404 | 3,073 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 4,861 | 4,170 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 4,540 | 4,273 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 4,410 | 4,000 |
Figure 2 shows that the trend in non-compliance with the regulations inspected has improved slightly since the start of the enhanced farm inspection programme. The 2021 to 2022 fiscal year had a 52% rate of non-compliance and the 2025 to 2026 year a 43% non-compliance rate. These figures include ‘remote sensing’ inspections as set out in Figure 13. Remote inspections complement in-person inspections by enabling coverage of large areas and targeting specific land management or pollution risks.
Compliance rates for remote inspections are generally higher than for on-farm inspections. During an on-farm inspection, our officers will check compliance against a wider range of regulations and record any non-compliances. Remote inspections have a narrower focus on land management issues, which may not always be recorded as regulatory non-compliances but can lead to increased pollution risk or heighten the potential for pollution incidents. Where specific breaches are identified, we will record the inspection as non-compliant and take appropriate action to address the non-compliance.
Figure 2: Percent non-compliant inspections on non-permitted farms April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Percent non-compliance |
|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 52% |
| 2022 to 2023 | 49% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 50% |
| 2024 to 2025 | 49% |
| 2025 to 2026 | 43% |
Between April 2021 and March 2026, we issued 27,485 improvement actions and verified that 19,841 actions to improve the environment have been completed. Figure 3 shows an increase in improvement actions issued over the last 5 financial years, rising from 2,546 in 2021 to 2022 to 4,995 in 2025 to 2026 for non-permitted farms. These values fluctuate annually, as improvement actions vary in scale and complexity, which affects the level of officer time required for inspection follow-up.
Figure 3: Improvement actions issued on non-permitted farms April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Actions issued |
|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 2,546 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 5,473 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 7,604 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 6,867 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 4,995 |
The top 10 improvement action categories issued to non-permitted farms between April 2021 to March 2026 are displayed in Figure 4. They range from advisory actions such as fixing a small piece of guttering (‘clean and dirty water’ separation is a simple but important action to reduce the volume of water entering slurry lagoons and silage effluent tanks), to regulatory compliance actions such as the complete replacement of a slurry store. Clean and dirty water separation actions were issued 4,086 times and was the top improvement action issued to non-permitted farms between April 2021 and March 2026.
Figure 4: Top improvement actions issued to non-permitted farms April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Action Category | Number actions |
|---|---|
| Clean and dirty water separation | 4,086 |
| Silage clamp | 3,374 |
| Slurry store | 3,312 |
| Nutrient Management Plan | 3,227 |
| Soil testing | 3,194 |
| Manure storage | 2,210 |
| Oil storage | 1,707 |
| Other | 917 |
| Risk maps | 879 |
When an improvement action is completed and verified, it is classed as an outcome. Some actions, such as a new slurry store, can take several months or even years to complete. Figure 5 shows the increase in the annual number of verified outcomes following the expansion of the Environment Agency farm inspection programme, increasing from 921 in the fiscal year 2021 to 2022 to 4,423 in 2025 to 2026 on non-permitted farms. There was a spike in verified outcomes in 2024 to 2025 as we made a concerted effort to focus on completing an outstanding backlog of actions.
Figure 5: Verified outcomes complete on non-permitted farms April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Outcomes complete |
|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 921 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 3,195 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 4,799 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 6,503 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 4,423 |
Where a farmer does not bring themselves into compliance in agreed timescales, or there is a risk of pollution, we will take a further action which can include warnings, penalties, formal cautions or prosecutions. Figure 6 shows how, between April 2021 and March 2026, most enforcement actions proposed on non-permitted farms were issued via warning letters (1,642) or those given in site warnings (992).
Figure 6: Top proposed enforcement type on non-permitted farms April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Proposed enforcement type |
|---|---|
| Warning letter | 1,642 |
| Site warning | 992 |
| Notices | 51 |
| Enforcement undertaking – civil sanction | 23 |
| Local enforcement position | 6 |
Figure 7 shows that between April 2021 to March 2026, there were 36 successful prosecutions associated with farming activity (these exclude waste offences).
Figure 7: Number of successful prosecutions on farms between April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year) (excludes waste as primary incident type)
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 4 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 4 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 8 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 8 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 12 |
We also respond to environmental incidents on farms. Figure 8 shows between fiscal years 2021 and 2026, there were:
- 1,666 minor (category 3) incidents recorded on non-permitted agriculture sites that had an effect on water
- 263 serious or significant (category 1 and 2) recorded incidents (these figures exclude specific categories of pollution such as waste, burning of waste, anaerobic digestion and composting)
Figure 8: Pollution incidents on farms affecting water April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Category | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incidents | 49 | 214 | 1,666 | 1,929 |
Figure 9 shows there has been no discernible trend in the number of serious or significant incidents affecting water from farms over 5 fiscal years between April 2021 and March 2026, with a combined total of 39 in 2021 to 2022, increasing to 72 in 2024 to 2025 and decreasing again to 48 in 2025 to 2026. Although 2025 to 2026 shows an improvement, it is too early to attribute this to either our increased presence on farms or prevailing weather conditions. Annual fluctuations can be driven by a range of factors, particularly extremes of weather.
Figure 9: Number of serious or significant incidents affecting water April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Category 1 | Category 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 10 | 29 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 12 | 45 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 10 | 37 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 10 | 62 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 7 | 41 |
Table 1: Serious and significant incidents by farm category affecting water April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Source type | Category 1 | Category 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy | 35 | 152 |
| Arable | 7 | 26 |
| Beef | 5 | 15 |
| Other agricultural source | 0 | 11 |
| Horticulture | 1 | 4 |
| Pig | 1 | 2 |
| Energy crops | 0 | 3 |
| Poultry | 0 | 1 |
As highlighted in Table 1, the dairy sector, with 187 serious or significant incidents, was the main cause of agricultural related water pollution incidents between 2021 and 2026. The majority were due to failures in storage infrastructure and drainage. This is despite the number of dairy farms in England making up only 8% of agriculture land. More cows and a higher milk yield both lead to an increase in the amount of slurry produced which needs to be stored, increasing risk to the environment.
Table 2 displays the number of serious and significant incidents by top 8 pollution type. The top 8 pollution types account for 46 of the 49 category 1 pollution incidents and 189 of the 214 category 2 incidents. The remainder are from a variety of other reasons.
Table 2: Serious and significant incidents by top 8 pollution type affecting water April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Pollutants | Category 1 | Category 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Slurry and dilute slurry | 32 | 122 |
| Silage liquors | 3 | 35 |
| Other agricultural material or waste | 2 | 13 |
| Soils and clay | 3 | 10 |
| Fertiliser | 3 | 2 |
| Other contaminated water | 2 | 2 |
| Pesticides and biocides | 1 | 2 |
| Diesel | 0 | 3 |
Figure 10 shows that the number of serious and significant incidents is greatest in the west of the country where dairy farming predominates. Damaged, undersized or poorly constructed and maintained slurry and silage stores are a major cause of pollution incidents on farms. Pollution can also result from excessive or inappropriate use of pesticides, sewage sludge or other materials spread to land.
Figure 10: Map of serious and significant incidents by Environment Agency water management areas affecting water April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
Figure 10 as a data table
| Environment Agency area | Incident count |
|---|---|
| North East (NEA) | 6 |
| Cumbria and Lancashire (CLA) | 26 |
| Yorkshire (YOR) | 17 |
| Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire (GMC) | 9 |
| Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire (LNA) | 4 |
| East Midlands (EMD) | 5 |
| West Midlands (WMD) | 28 |
| Wessex (WSX) | 49 |
| Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (DCS) | 91 |
| Solent and South Downs (SSD) | 4 |
| East Anglia (EAN) | 11 |
| Thames (THM) | 4 |
| Kent, South London and East Sussex (KSL) | 7 |
| Hertfordshire and North London (HNL) | 2 |
When a major pollution incident is traced to a farm, we work with the farmer to identify the source and cause. Our priority is to stop the pollution, whether through simple actions such as relocating manure heaps, or more involved measures such as digging bunds and blocking drains. The responsible party is charged for our time and, after investigation, as a minimum a warning is issued. In more serious cases, civil or criminal sanctions are considered per our enforcement and sanctions policy. We always support the farmer in finding a long-term solution.
Regulatory farm inspections and incident response should not be viewed in isolation as they are complemented by various other advice and incentives available to the sector. These are often delivered through catchment partnership schemes, government funded agri-environment schemes or via industry representatives promoting best practice (such as the National Farmers Union, Country Land and Business Association, Tenant Farmers Association).
Permitted sites regulated by the Environment Agency
1,352 permitted pig and poultry sites in England
The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating intensive pig and poultry farms under EPR. As of April 2026, there are a total of 1,352 permitted sites (239 pig permits and 1,113 poultry) in England. In England, the proportion of poultry in units of 40,000 or more animals is estimated to be 84% in 2023.
Between April 2021 and March 2026, we carried out 1,767 inspections of farms permitted under EPR. A further 2,533 inspections were completed through the Pig and Poultry Assurance Scheme. Of the Environment Agency inspections, 810 (46%) identified a breach of their permit. Under the assurance scheme, the number of inspections which identified a breach of permit was 708 (28%) demonstrating that farms in the assurance scheme typically have higher rates of compliance compared to non-scheme members. It should be noted that there is no direct comparison between compliance rates for permitted and non-permitted sites, as they are distinct entities governed by different regulatory regimes.
During this reporting period, 98% of permit breaches identified through inspections were classified as Category 3 or 4, indicating that they posed either minor or no risk to the environment. In addition, 98% of permitted sites were classified within the top two compliance bands (A and B), reflecting a generally low level of environmental risk. Site classifications are determined based on the number of breaches identified through compliance assessments conducted during the calendar year. Where a site has not been assessed within the year, it is recorded within band A for reporting purposes. In 2025, 423 sites (35%) were categorised using this approach.
There were 4 significant pollution incidents on permitted sites between April 2021 and March 2026 (all category 2 incidents). There were 514 minor incidents with little or no environmental impact. Figure 11 shows that the majority of incidents from permitted sites were a result of odour issues (353 incidents) and only 30 were related to water pollution.
Figure 11: Category 1 and 2 incidents from permitted sites between April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Incident type | Total |
|---|---|
| Odour | 353 |
| Noise | 55 |
| Water pollution | 30 |
| Fire | 13 |
| Suspected permit breach | 1 |
Agricultural water needs and climate resilience
Secure and reliable water supplies are vital for food production, food security and supporting the economy. Abstraction demand for arable agriculture and irrigation is typically a small proportion of the total annual licensed water abstraction in England. However, in the South East of England during the summer months, daily demand for agricultural abstraction can be comparable to public water use.
The impact of drought on the irrigated agriculture sector can be huge, affecting food production, agri-businesses, food prices and the quality and availability of produce. As with flooding, climate change is increasing extremes of weather, heightening the likelihood of hotter and drier summers, such as those experienced during 2018, 2022 and 2025.
The scale of pressure on water availability is highlighted in the National Framework for Water Resources. It includes a range of measures to help farmers build water resilience, support local water solutions, and use real-time data to manage water abstraction more sustainably. Other supporting resources include agricultural water resources and irrigation reservoir guidance documents.
In addition to farm inspections for protecting water quality, we carry out separate inspections to check compliance with abstraction and impounding licence conditions. The frequency of these inspections is determined by the potential risk to the environment or where there is a poor compliance history. Figure 12 shows we have carried out over 1,000 agricultural abstraction and impounding licence inspections annually since 2021. In the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year, we inspected 1,676 agricultural abstraction and impounding licences. Between April 2021 and March 2026 there were a total of 7,147 inspections.
Figure 12: Agricultural abstraction and impounding licences inspections April 2021 to March 2026 (fiscal year)
| Year | Agricultural abstraction and impounding licences inspections |
|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 1,186 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 1,184 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 1,578 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 1,523 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 1,676 |
Flooding on farmland
59% Grade 1 land in England at risk of flooding
The Environment Agency’s core role is to support farmers in complying with environmental regulations. However, farmers and landowners can be adversely affected by flooding, through damage to soil and crops and harm to livestock. They can also play a role in alleviating flooding by managing their land to store more water and increase surface roughness, helping to slow flows through natural flood management. As climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events, we want to work with the sector to support adaptation and build resilience.
The national strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management sets out how we are working closely with the agricultural sector. We want to encourage changes in agricultural land use and management to prepare for, and be resilient to, the risk of flooding now and in the future. The rural flood resilience partnership has been established to improve collaboration, deepen understanding of vulnerabilities, and support rural communities and agricultural businesses in building their resilience to present and future flood risks and coastal erosion. There are specific rights and responsibilities to owning a watercourse.
Financial support for the industry to support natural flood management is available through environmental land management schemes and Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), which has provided natural flood management advice to 2,800 holdings since 2022. Examples of the advice provided include:
- practices to improve infiltration through better soil management
- buffer strips to slow flow
- how to store and slowly release water (such as run-off attenuation features)
There are also capital grants available to help farmers and landowners reduce impacts of flooding on their more productive land, reduce risks to downstream communities, or adapt their land and farming practices to wetter conditions.
Funded schemes to support our regulatory approach
49% of total farmed area in England managed by CSF engaged farmers
Government funded agri-environment schemes support our regulatory approach by incentivising environmental land management and biodiversity across England. Our farm inspections frequently highlight issues that can be referred to a local CSF adviser who will identify relevant schemes to support a farmer take corrective action. We also administer parts of the slurry infrastructure grant to help replace, build additional or expand existing slurry stores.
CSF gives farmers access to free, confidential tailored advice and support for improving water quality, air quality and natural flood management practices. Between April 2021 and March 2026, 2,044 improvement actions were referred to CSF following an Environment Agency regulatory farm inspection.
Evaluation of the scheme assessed that, between 2006 and 2018, CSF advice led to an estimated 4% reduction in nitrate, an 8% reduction in phosphorus and 12% reduction in sediment losses in target areas.
The total area covered by environmental stewardship schemes, including Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme agreements in England, at end December 2025 is estimated to be around 6.1 million hectares. This is equivalent to 69% of the utilised agricultural area of England.
The Environment Agency manages the development phase grant funding for successful projects in Landscape Recovery environmental land management schemes. The Landscape Recovery scheme pays for bespoke, longer-term (20 years plus), larger scale projects to enhance the natural environment. The bespoke nature of the Landscape Recovery agreements enables land managers to collaborate to deliver at landscape scale and enables projects to attract private investment. Landscape Recovery projects cover a minimum of 500 hectares, with some projects of up to 20,000 hectares with farmers and landowners collaborating to restore and enhance natural habitats, including woodlands, peatlands and river systems. Projects currently planned in England will:
- cover more than 300,000 hectares (2.3% of England) allowing large-scale changes to benefit the environment and climate
- work with 1000 farmers and land managers across the projects
- cover over 480 kilometres of river length
56 projects entered the development phase of Round 1 and Round 2 of the scheme pilot. 3 projects (Boothby Wildland, Upper Duddon and the Evenlode) have successfully entered the implementation phase of the scheme, with long term funding administered by Natural England. Two projects have exited the scheme, while the remaining projects are currently being assessed.
Innovation and technology
From working with agri-food industries, to harnessing data, technology and innovative strategies, we are transforming work with the agriculture sector to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Improved technologies such as sediment fingerprinting and advanced digital systems enable the collection, analysis, and integration of environmental data within mapping tools, pinpointing areas where agricultural pollution poses greatest risk. Further information can be found in the Environment Agency Chief Scientist’s Annual Review.
We have developed an innovative tool, the freely available Agriculture Land Environmental Risk and Opportunity Tool (ALERT). It uses some of the very best spatial data to locate environmental risks and opportunities and is accessible by all. Our officers regularly use these remote sensing technologies – drone imagery, satellite data, and geospatial mapping – to pinpoint environmental risks more precisely. For example, users can locate overland flow pathways and use remote sensing data to look at changes in the landscape over a season. This represents a step change in the ability to target pollution mitigation measures more accurately.
Figure 13 shows how remote sensing inspections have made an increasingly significant contribution to our 4,000 farm inspection target since 2021, with inspections of non-permitted farms increasing from 175 in the fiscal year 2021 to 2022 to 409 in 2025 to 2026. There was a spike in the number of inspections in 2023 to 2024 as we trialled the use of officers supporting with additional desk-based audits. We will look to embed this approach further to ensure maximum efficiency in our inspections and align with the Environment Agency’s strategy to further embrace innovation and efficiencies.
Figure 13: Annual number of remote sensing inspections of non-permitted farms 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026
| Year | Remote sensing inspections | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 175 | 0 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 370 | 200 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 640 | 250 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 353 | 335 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 409 | 409 |
Remote inspections complement and support the work our officers do on the ground. We use them to cover large areas of land, often looking for specific issues relating to land management or pollution risk; for example, identifying cattle access points to watercourses and poaching, or bare soil over winter, both of which can lead to diffuse pollution. In the majority of cases where a potential problem is identified, we issue advice and guidance to the land manager.
To address water abstraction issues, the Environment Agency is enabling flexible licensing systems, through dynamic catchment management and near-real-time monitoring of abstraction, discharges, and water availability. Innovations such as precision irrigation and smart farming technology will improve efficiency, reducing unnecessary water use and optimising consumption. A smart metering farm trial is being run across one East Anglian catchment, enhancing data-driven water management.
The water resources licensing digital service (WRLS) has been further enhanced, equipping it with e-alerts to notify licence holders of changes in hands-off-flow. This is a condition attached to a water abstraction licence requiring the holder to stop (or reduce) abstracting water when river flow falls below a specified threshold. Looking ahead, further developments to WRLS will integrate real-time river and groundwater level data, cross-referenced against licence requirements, with future capabilities to provide predictive forecasts.
Working together to improve the environment
As the water industry sector invests in improvements through their asset management plans, the proportionate contribution of nutrient pollution from agriculture will grow.
Our farm inspections, alongside government agri-environment schemes, will help drive efficiencies and compliance within the sector, improving the environment and adapting to a changing climate.
A sustainable farming sector is essential for national food security and environmental protection. However, these goals are not mutually exclusive – they can and must be achieved together. Even though farmers face significant challenges, farming must also play a role in protecting the finite environmental resources that underpin it as an industry.
Environment Agency evidence over the last 5 years demonstrates that:
- serious water pollution incidents from the sector have remained at the same level
- a 5-year average non-compliance of 48% suggests systemic issues, though there are signs of an improvement with a 43% non-compliance average in 2025 to 2026
Internal Environment Agency modelling suggests that, with a combined approach of advice and incentives to address all regulatory issues across all farms, pollution reductions of up to an estimated maximum of 13% to 27% (depending on the specific pollutant) are possible.
To achieve greater improvements would require future policy changes, such as:
- the permitting of intensive dairy farms
- reviewing the approach to the spreading of sewage sludge to land
- targeted riparian planting
- more innovation in fertiliser use
- improving soil organic matter content
As the programme expands over the next 3 years, we will be able to offer more guidance to farmers, strengthen links with supply chains and farm networks, make better use of technology, and take stronger action against serious or ongoing pollution.
We are committed to being a fair, transparent and evidence-led regulator. We will expand our engagement work with the sector to promote and adopt better land and water management practices, improve compliance and support long-term environmental resilience.
Through strengthened relationships, clearer communication and improved innovation, we can build trust and enable practical, proportionate action. We will continue to regulate through advice and guidance but will use all available sanctions where appropriate.
Adapting to a changing climate and reducing water pollution are essential to farming now and in the future. Working together, we can ensure farming continues to thrive while protecting the environment for future generations.
Case studies: 2021 to 2026
East Midlands
River Wye in the Derbyshire Derwent Catchment
Issues: On a farm inspection, farmyard manure was found to be running off from the store on to porous ground. The farm was situated right next to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and there was a significant likelihood of pollution through enhanced phosphate, nitrate and faecal matter.
Farmyard manure running off from the store to porous ground
Outcomes: With the agriculture officer working closely with the farmer, improvements were made in 12 days. Further work is being done to obtain a grant to fund roofing to keep rainwater off. This will stop runoff and significantly reduce the pollution risk to the SSSI.
Manure now contained in the store
Tenant and Landowner Partnership for Responsible Farming Project
As part of our work to test different approaches to regulating agriculture, we’ve launched a new project with agricultural landlords, to help them support their tenants to comply with environmental regulations.
In England, 45% of holdings are either wholly tenanted or mixed tenure, and a third of all agricultural land in England is tenanted. Tenant farmers take many forms, ranging from long-term whole farm tenancies to much shorter-term tenancies spanning a few years or less for rearing livestock or cultivating crops such as potatoes.
As part of this project, we’re working with a small group of forward-thinking landlords who are known for strong tenant relationships. The project will focus on tenant-landlord collaboration to support environmental outcomes and farm businesses. Together, with the support of the Tenant Farmers Association, we’ll assess water pollution risks on their land and develop plans for mitigating these, as well as working with landlords to help them prepare their tenants for regulatory inspections.
Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire
I was surprised and concerned when the Environment Agency wrote to me saying they needed to inspect my farm, as it isn’t something I had heard of before. But my nerves were calmed after I spoke to Caroline Hook who is an agriculture officer. Caroline explained the reason for the visit and that the Environment Agency will be evaluating all farms in my area, so it wasn’t just me! During the inspection, we talked about how safe farming practices can help to limit pollution. She advised us on how some minor issues could be improved. I found this particularly useful as she gave me advice specific to my farm, and a reasonable deadline to get the work done by.
Caroline Hook, agriculture officer for the Environment Agency, said:
We want to help farmers safeguard and improve the environment and ensure they are in a robust position to secure funding through the future Environmental Land Management Schemes.
So, by working together we can improve the environment, better protect watercourses and make farmers eligible for some additional funding. It is a win-win!
East Anglia
River Wensum in the Norfolk Broads
Some farmers demonstrate exemplar practice and could be champions for their local area. On a farm inspection of 400 hectare arable farm in the river Wensum catchment, the Environment Agency agriculture officer noted that the farm was fully compliant with the regulations inspected for and demonstrated best practice, including:
- an excellent soil management plan, and record of soil profiling across the holding
- use of cover crops in the winter which includes a blend of plants
- practice of minimum tillage
- 20 metre buffer strips around fields
- a sprayer filling area has a biofilter for water purification
- the farmyard area has a sediment trap as part of its drainage system
Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire
South Cheshire
Issues: During a targeted inspection, it was identified that the farm did not have the legally required minimum slurry storage capacity under NVZ Regulations. Insufficient storage meant the farm risked having no choice but to spread slurry during unsuitable weather or during closed periods – both of which significantly increase pollution risks to local watercourses.
Outcomes: By September 2025, the farmer shared photographic evidence confirming excavation and construction work had begun to enlarge the lagoon. This work reflected substantial investment and a meaningful commitment to meeting regulatory expectations.
Excavation and construction work to enlarge the lagoon
Solent and South Downs
How CSF and the Environment Agency worked in partnership to support a Sussex cattle and sheep farm
During a routine Environment Agency visit, a family‑run Sussex farm was found to have built a slurry lagoon, silage clamp and farmyard manure store without prior notification and with evidence of overtopping and runoff risks.
The farm has since worked closely with the Environment Agency and a CSF advisor to resolve the issues. Soil testing has been completed to inform future manure applications, the slurry lagoon is being enlarged to provide 5 months storage, and perimeter drainage is being installed to prevent runoff.
This positive engagement has brought the farm back into compliance, improved nutrient management, reduced environmental risk, and delivered cost savings through more efficient manure use.
Haymaking
North East Area
Hartburn to Delf Burn – tackling diffuse rural pollution
Work in the Hartburn catchment, Northumbria, is focused on improving habitats and water quality. Poor agricultural and rural land practices have caused poor water quality in this rural catchment. Livestock with direct access to the waters trample the riverbanks and cause sedimentation (also known as poaching).
Livestock on riverbanks
The National Trust is leading a partnership aiming to reduce sediments and other pollutants entering the river. They are working with tenant farmers to improve land management practices and construct infrastructure. Completed work includes:
- 3.5 kilometres of fencing along water courses
- 17 field gates
- 4 solar water pumps with troughs supplying livestock drinking water
- creating 19.6 hectares of buffer strip
- 80 metres of in-channel improvements
This improves soil health, reduces soil erosion and pollution in the Hartburn, and improves biodiversity and land use practices within a profitable farming business model.