Defra has published its plan to stop the decline of the River Wye, which has been assessed as 'Unfavourable-Declining' due to pressures including excess nutrients, climate change and invasive species.
The plan sets out the government's proposals for support and is intended to be sensitive to farming interests.
It consists of nine commitments, four of which have key elements for agriculture:
- The appointment of a ‘River Wye Champion’
- A £35 million grant for on farm combustors of poultry manure
- Piloting micro AD on farms
- Amending environmental permitting regulations
NFU members can get further insight in our briefing: River Wye Action Plan – reactive briefing
“The agricultural community throughout the River Wye catchment all care about its future and want to see it thriving which includes improvements to the quality of the water.”
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos
A welcome publication
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos said: “The agricultural community throughout the River Wye catchment all care about its future and want to see it thriving which includes improvements to the quality of the water.
“We recognise there are challenges for the River Wye such as reducing levels of nutrients and farmers and growers have a role to play in restoring its health. We welcome the publication of the River Wye Action Plan which we will now examine in detail.”
Next steps
“The NFU will continue its work with Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural England and Farm Herefordshire to drive improvements to benefit soils, plant health and water quality in order to help improve the future of the Wye catchment.”