DEFRA forced to reduce NVZ restrictions

The government has unveiled a 9% reduction in farmland under restriction to reduce nitrogen loss from agriculture to water.

DEFRA was forced to issue a revised map after farmers appealed against the designation of additional Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs).

More than 750 appeals were submitted across England and Wales ahead of a DEFRA deadline which expired earlier this year.

Upheld appeals saw NVZ designations lifted from affected farmland.

Where a body of water should not have been identified as polluted, all land draining into that water has also been removed from the NVZ.

This means many more farmers than those that appealed may now find their land is no longer within an NVZ.

The NFU, which had lobbied hard for a review of the NVZ areas, urged its members to check if they still remain under restriction.

NFU vice-president Gwyn Jones said: “This is undoubtedly good news for thousands of farmers who will benefit from these changes.

“Even those farmers that haven’t appealed personally may have land removed from the NVZs as a result of appeals by other farmers.

“It is important everyone checks their designation for potential changes.”

The lifting of restrictions would come as a tremendous relief to farmers released from the cost and complexity of the NVZ action programme, said Mr Jones.

Farmers who remained within NVZs would hope the move represented a turning point in the “insidious creep” of designations across the country.

“Too many farmers remain within NVZs and much work remains to be done to minimise designations,” said Mr Jones.

“The NFU will keep up its efforts on farmers’ behalf.”

The changes relate to 18 catchments in England only. Some are substantial and affect hundreds of farms.

In addition to these catchments, there have also been at least 150 other relatively small reductions in designated areas.

Farmers can check the NVZ status of their farmland by clicking here.