Concerns have been raised over the potential abandonment of a crucial EU law put in place to protect rivers from agricultural operations in light of Brexit.
As of 1 January 2024, British farmers will no longer be bound by previous EU regulations aimed at decreasing agricultural run-off. This condition was set by the European Union in the hopes to encourage more conscientious industrial operations, as well as tackle a large-scale contributor to water pollution.
Known as cross-compliance rules, this condition was one of many in the EU’s common agricultural policy that all European Union countries were obliged to follow. Yet as 2024 rolls in, the UK’s previous obligations to implement these laws will cease to apply, raising concerns over the future health of UK waters.
One key rule required farmers to establish “buffer strips” to mitigate runoff risks, requiring farms to plant perennial plants around the outskirts and open areas of the farm to reduce the amount of water runoff from the fields.
Agricultural runoff has become an increasing threat with the rise and expansion of agricultural operations during the last decades. With farms handling a number of toxic substances, from pesticides to sewage, efforts to reduce these chemicals entering waters are critical to maintaining the health and cleanliness of nearby rivers and streams.
Buffer zones also exist to encourage wildlife, providing a habitat for pollinators and insects, and acting as a natural partition between agricultural operations and the natural world. Other benefits also include the reduction of water erosion, where the planting of buffer zones on banks and slopes reduces the collapse of soil banks and protects grassy areas from being washed-out.
With the EU’s buffer zone rule no longer in place, UK waters are now at risk of a multitude of ecological risks from exposure to agricultural runoff, and concerns over the increase in pollutants and potential regression only add stress to an already vulnerable environmental situation.
In a report by the Independent, agriculture, sewage, and urban diffuse pollution are identified as the main sources of river pollution, with agriculture posing the greatest threat, according to the Salmon and Trout Conservation charity.
The removal of cross-compliance rules does not necessarily signal the end of environmental protections, yet it undermines the principle of maintaining a sturdy baseline for supporting and maintaining environmental health.
The government has assured campaigners that existing regulations will continue to be active in safeguarding the environment, and have suggested additional consultations regarding hedgerow protections, however, concerns still linger over future regulations, reducing pollution and holding industries accountable.
Although there is a consensus among environmental groups that while farmers generally desire to act responsibly and sustainably, the absence of government incentives and rules creates a system that weakens the message calling for environmental protections.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reassures its commitment to protecting watercourses through the Farming Rules for Water, emphasising a shift towards a more preventive, advice-oriented approach to monitoring and enforcement.
Despite these assurances, environmental campaigners still remain wary, urging continued vigilance, proactive measures, and concise regulations whilst navigating this new era of Britain's waters.