Countryside champion Adam Henson takes a strong stance against river pollution, urging harsher penalties for polluters.
The Cotswolds countryside that I have known and loved my whole life is defined by some of England’s most picturesque river valleys.
The Coln, Churn, Leach and Evenlode all tumble into The Thames long before it rolls on to become the great waterway of the capital city.
But there is another Cotswolds river, one with an evocative and unforgettable name, which has a particular hold on me.
The River Windrush starts life among the bullrushes and marsh marigolds close to the Anglo-Saxon village of Cutsdean, before meandering through wooded hillsides and gently sloping sheep country. On its journey south, it runs through the land I farm, just three fields from my home, creating a natural boundary between us and the little cluster of villages to the west of the watercourse. It’s a scene that is just as enthralling as it sounds, apart from one major setback.
Further downstream, the Windrush has suffered from untreated sewage discharge for years and, at its worst, the pollution turns waters that were once crystal-clear into a murky corridor of filth.
This situation is repeated in rivers and streams across the UK and the water companies are under immense public and media pressure to do something about it.
But farmers aren’t immune from similar criticism, and while the farmland surrounding the lower Windrush is mostly pasture and the landscape barely touched by heavy industry, other rivers run close to poultry farms where chickens are reared intensively.
Another Gloucestershire river, The Wye, has – campaigners say – been hit hard by the effects of phosphate-rich chicken manure, recycled as fertiliser, leaching from adjoining fields. It has prompted commentators and campaigners to ask whether farmers should do more to protect Britain’s rivers.
Farmers want nature to thrive and most do all they possibly can to support biodiversity.
The farming industry gets a lot of flak for the impact it has on the environment, but despite what you might read in the press, the vast majority of modern farmers care passionately about the landscape they live and work in. They want nature to thrive and most do all they possibly can to support biodiversity.
It would be easy to think that nobody in power cares about the state of our rivers. However, a significant report came out recently, which is concerned with reviving England’s polluted waterways. Delivering Biodiversity: Priority Actions for Fresh Water was commissioned by DEFRA and published by the British Ecological Society, and it canvassed the opinions of 40 experts in the subject.
Among its recommendations is a scheme that offers farmers incentives to take up regenerative agriculture practices that reduce the use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, which can leach into rivers in large quantities and wreak havoc.
The report also suggests that farming should take place further away from rivers, with watercourses fenced off to keep livestock out, and riverside woodlands planted to create a buffer between farmland and our waterways.
I have often said that regenerative farming isn’t appropriate for everyone, but it will reassure many hard-pressed conventional farmers to hear that incentives to change are being suggested.
However, along with carrot there needs to be stick. I believe the Environment Agency should have the funds, resources and power to test the river network rigorously and regularly for contamination. In that way, the EA can determine the pollution culprits more easily and fine them accordingly. The fines need to be severe enough for polluters to take notice, with repeat offenders given custodial sentences.
More from Adam Henson
Check out other opinion pieces from Adam, including farmers have a responsibility to maintain footpaths on their land, striving towards net zero on the farm, we must stop dogs attacking livestock, green energy for farms and why viticulture might be the answer.
