Environment Agency - Home

Agriculture

Find out what you must do to comply with regulations affecting farms and what you can do to reduce costs and make your business more sustainable.

We provide advice to farmers on how to comply. By integrating inspections, reducing regulatory burden on well run farms and stepping it up for poorly managed ones, we have cut the number of farm visits we make by half over a period of five years, while compliance levels have risen.

If your farm has a private sewage treatment system or makes any other discharges to water, you may need an environmental permit.

Working in or near rivers

If you are planning to do any work in or near a watercourse, you may need to apply for various permissions before you start. Please contact us for more information.

Water abstraction

If you are planning to take water from the ground or from surface water you may need to get a licence from us. Please contact us for more information.

  • Agricultural waste

    Agricultural waste is any substance or object from premises used for agriculture or horticulture, which the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard. It is waste specifically generated by agricultural activities.

  • Arable

    The UK is the fourth largest producer of cereal and oilseeds in Europe. Cereals are grown on over 70,000 farms, mainly along the drier east side of the UK.

  • Dairy and beef

    Around 42,300 beef and dairy farms in England and Wales manage over 160,000 square kilometres of land

  • Energy crops

    Energy crops are plants grown to use as fuel

  • Farming in extreme weather conditions

    Advice for farmers in extreme weather conditions.

  • Good practice

    There are a variety of things farmers can do to make their business more efficient and greener. Find out more about what you can do.

  • Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)

    Find out if the land you farm is in a nitrate vulnerable zone and what you need to do if it is.

  • Intensive farming (pigs and poultry) - home page

    Pig and poultry production is a vital part of UK agriculture and accounts for around one fifth of total agricultural output.

  • Sheep

    With a national flock of 25 million sheep and lambs, Britain is one of the major sheep producers in Europe and the seventh largest lamb producer in the world. Our sheep farmers also produce 70 thousand tonnes of wool each year.

  • Water resources (control of pollution, silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil) regulations 2010 (SSAFO)

    These regulations aim to prevent water pollution from stores of silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil.