WAgriCo An NFU Perspective Andrew Clark Head of Policy Services

‘The Environmental Challenge?’ Identifying environmental risks : Managing to environmental capacity Build self reliance - sustainability Demonstrating stewardship and compliance Water Framework Directive Soil management Pesticides stewardship Biodiversity conservation

EU Water Framework Directive Critical environmental legislation Sets target for good ecological status for surface- and ground- waters Chemical, physical and ecological aspects Each catchment/River basin to have action plan by 2009 tailored to local issues Options for derogations from 2015 target for excessive social/economic costs Unites land management and water quality

NFU WFD policy Early action to identify issues Set pragmatic targets for good status Supportive approach (Catchment advisors, grant aid, demonstration, good practice) should be the priority Sustainable solutions – must make business sense Join up a complex agenda – soils, nutrients, pesticides Say what you mean – banish jargon (CSF,WFD…) Celebrate achievements – VI

WAgriCo – why is it good for farmers? Welcome initiative, important timely, right approach Key features: Collaboration Outcome focused Locally based Integrated Non-regulatory Demonstrate that industry takes WFD seriously Good agricultural practice = good environment Lessons – EU-wide, UK-wide Welcome initiative, important timely, right approach – WAgriCo - is a collaborative project between partners in Lower Saxony, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The UK partnership will work with, and support, the local farming community to help in providing a sustainable solution to the provision of good ground water quality. The project focuses on those issues affecting the quality of groundwater resources. Polluted groundwater’s are extremely difficult to clean up and can remain contaminated for many decades. When used for public water supplies additional treatment can be added but this is not sustainable and increases the cost burden on customers. Protection at source is therefore of paramount importance and offers the most sustainable solution. It is a key driver of the Water Framework Directive. WAgriCo provides an opportunity to demonstrate that by working together the UK’s private water industry and the agricultural industry, along with other interested stakeholders, it is possible to reduce diffuse pollution by employing good agricultural practices. This project should lead to an improvement in groundwater quality in the demonstration catchments, although this may take several years to quantify, and water quality in general where it is anticipated that improvements are quicker to achieve and quantify. The need for these improvements and the cooperation to achieve them is the key feature of the Water Framework Directive to which the WAgriCo project is directly linked. In order to deliver the projects objectives the UK partners are supported by funding contributions from the LIFE Financial Instrument of the European Community and the UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.