English farmers make progress on water compliance

Thousands of farmers in England are taking action to improve water quality, with new Environment Agency figures showing environmental compliance is moving in the right direction despite significant challenges remaining.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) inaugural Agriculture Report found more than 19,000 environmental improvement actions have been completed on farms since 2021, while the rate of non-compliance with water regulations fell to 43% in 2025-26 from a five-year average of 48%.

The report, based on more than 19,000 inspections of non-permitted farms over five years, found almost half of inspections still identified at least one breach of regulations.

See also: 8 ways to prepare for tighter rules on water quality

But the regulator said the latest figures suggest “signs of improvement” as more farmers invest in infrastructure and adopt better environmental practices.

NFU deputy president Paul Tompkins welcomed the findings, saying they reflected the efforts farmers are already making to protect rivers while producing food.

“Farmers and growers care deeply about the environment they live and work in.

“Producing high-quality food and improving our water quality can and must go hand in hand,” he added.

Mr Tompkins said the report “presents a picture of improving action on water quality”, while also highlighting “the scale of the challenge remaining” and noting that some inspection failures could be “as simple as missing paperwork”.

The report says almost 20,000 improvement actions have already been verified, ranging from repairing guttering to replacing slurry stores, with government-backed environmental schemes now covering more than 6m hectares of farmland.

Mr Tompkins said the figures showed farm businesses were making progress through collaboration rather than punitive regulation.

“Farm businesses are already moving in the right direction, with a 5% decrease in non-compliances in the past year compared to the five-year average.

“This has been achieved by collaboratively working with farms,” he said.

He urged the Environment Agency to continue focusing on advice and practical support rather than introducing “costly and bureaucratic permits” which, he argued, would discourage investment.

Challenges remain

The report also highlights the scale of agriculture’s environmental challenge.

Farming remains responsible for about 40% of water pollution nationally, with dairy farms accounting for the highest number of serious pollution incidents over the past five years.

The EA plans to increase inspections to 6,000 annually by 2029 while continuing to combine advice with enforcement where necessary.