What to expect from an EA inspection on farm
© Oli Lees The number of farm inspections carried out by the Environment Agency (EA) has ramped up in recent years, as the government seeks to tackle water pollution, with 89 EA officers conducting more than 4,500 farm inspections in 2024 alone.
The EA is eager to reassure farmers that inspections are advice-led and take a “human first” approach, with many inspectors having first-hand knowledge of agricultural practices.
At their core, however, these inspections do still have a regulatory aspect and can lead to enforcement action.
See also: Environment Agency launches guidance to support farm inspections
Beef enterprises had the highest number of visits by farm type in 2024, with 1,796 EA inspections, according to Defra figures, followed by dairy farms (1,193 inspections), sheep enterprises (1,045), and wheat growers (992). There were a further 226 inspections on pig units.
Common areas of non-compliance
Karen Price, a senior EA officer, said roughly half of farm inspections discover issues, which can range from quick fixes to more major problems in need of investment.
She outlined several common areas that farm businesses often fall down on, including not having carried out soil sampling, a lack of proper nutrient management planning, and no clean and dirty water separation.
Ms Price said: “We are encouraging farmers to do soil sampling and then they can look at what is in the soils and incorporate it into their nutrient management plan. They are then only putting onto the fields what the crops need, and we are not getting the excess phosphates that we are experiencing in the wider area.”
Farm visit
Rob and James Kynaston, a father and son who run a dairy enterprise in Shropshire, had an EA inspection on their farm earlier this year.
The farm was given several weeks’ notice and received a phone call to arrange an exact date and time.
Rob said: “Inspectors want to turn up when we are here and not too busy with farm work, so seem keen to set a date that works for everyone.”
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He added that the inspection was quite a comprehensive check, which included a look at relevant paperwork such as soil analysis, fertiliser records, and spray records, and a walk around the farm.
Water quality tests are often also carried out by inspectors to check for high nitrogen levels and signs of slurry making its way into watercourses.
The dairy enterprise was found to be generally compliant. However, the EA team did raise a few points, where adjustments were required.
One of the observations by the EA inspector was an outdoor concrete pad used for storing farmyard muck over winter, when the fields were too wet to drive on.
James said this was something that might catch quite a few farmers out, as the EA didn’t like that the muck could turn to slurry if it got rained on and then run off into the adjacent field.
“The EA would rather we took it straight up to a field and dumped it straight onto the grass, where it can leach into the ground,” he added.
Ms Price, who carried out the farm inspection, said once rain gets onto farmyard muck and runs off it, then it is classed as slurry.
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“What we require farmers to do when slurry is produced is either store it or contain it,” she said. “Farmyard muck can be moved onto a field heap and kept there for 12 months.”
Government legislation states that, if storing manure on land, it must not be within 10m of inland or coastal waters, or within 50m of a spring, well or borehole.
The farm was given two weeks, weather permitting, to remove the muck and clean the concrete pad following the inspection.
James said: “We have since got a grant to build a muck store on farm, so we are going to build one under cover with concrete, which should stop this being an issue in the future.”
A slurry separator is also due to be installed to split dry matter from liquid slurry, which is stored in a slurry pit located beneath the parlour.
This should mean the end product from inside the slurry store should have a thinner consistency, which will be spread using a trailing shoe on the back of the muck spreader, helping to reduce emissions.
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The dairy itself on farm was found by inspectors to be fully compliant because it all drains through a slatted flooring system into a contained slurry store below, limiting the risk of runoff into watercourses.
The farm has capacity for four months’ worth of slurry storage, which under the silage, slurry and agricultural fuel regulations is okay, according to Ms Price.
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Concrete
A second issue that was flagged by the inspector at the dairy unit was some broken concrete in front of a silage clamp.
The issue raised was that silage effluent could potentially leach into the ground, enter a nearby drain, and eventually flow into a watercourse.
“We have got a drain here and if this is heavily trafficked, the silage effluent could come out and has the option to get to a drain and into a watercourse,” said Ms Price.
“Inspections are often about bringing that fresh pair of eyes, to consider things like ‘where does that drain go?’”
She stated that the action needed was to repair the base of the silage clamp where there were cracks, fix joints in the walls, and ensure any runoff could not reach a nearby drain.
A timeline was proposed for the farm to make the necessary corrections, taking into account farming practices.
It was agreed that concreting round the edges of the clamp would need to be completed within several months and any other issues were fixed before the next load of silage was cut and stored.
Ms Price added: “We signpost farmers to Natural England and Catchment Sensitive Farming and they can offer grants for concrete work and for roofing over areas.”
Chemicals
Checks of on-farm chemical stores and fuel tanks are carried out as part of the EA inspection process.
Ms Price said: “We need to make sure the chemicals are in a bunded area, which is secure, locked, and not near drains and watercourses. If something happened, what is the worst case scenario? Where would it go?”
Inspectors also assess where sprayers are filled and cleaned on farm, to check there is not a risk of contamination in to watercourses.
NVZs face greater restrictions
Farms within nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZs) have tougher regulations imposed on them, which need to be met in order to be compliant with environmental inspections.
Firstly, they require up to six months’ worth of slurry storage for pigs and poultry, and five months for cattle and sheep.
Storage and spreading records need to be kept for at least five years.
Farms within NVZs can only apply up to 170kg/ha of nitrogen through livestock manures, which can have an impact on stocking densities.
But individual farms may be able to apply for a derogation of up to 250kg/ha if the nitrogen comes from grazing livestock manure.
Nitrate management plans and regular soil sampling are required.
The rules for farms outside NVZs are also tightening, however, and Farming Rules for Water require all farmers in England to have soil sampling, which should be no older than five years old.
EA inspectors find breaches, but prosecutions are rare
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request raised by Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk, reveals there have been almost 7,000 breaches of environmental regulations on intensive livestock farms in England between 2015 and 2025.
The data also indicates that the EA conducted roughly 17 inspections on intensive livestock farms each week, with breaches identified at about 75% of inspections.
No further action was taken by the EA in most of these cases, and fewer than 1% of incidents were recommended for prosecution, according to the FOI request.
Mr Jermy said: “In my constituency, farming is our lifeblood, as is the environment, and therefore, we must have a serious conversation as to what kind of farming we need moving forwards.
“It must be one that protects our communities, agriculture and nature, while furthering animal welfare standards as well as harnessing food security.”