Ending farming pollution
Modern farming feeds us all, but poorly managed waste and chemicals are polluting our rivers, air and soils. This damage isn’t inevitable. We can farm in ways that protect nature, as well as produce food.
How do farms pollute rivers?
Agriculture contributes to 40% of river pollution. Fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics and topsoil from farming enter our waterways. Fertilisers choke the life out of them by creating algal blooms, pesticides hurt aquatic life, and overuse of antibiotics in farming has led to the presence of superbugs like E. coli and MRSA in rivers.
How does intensive chicken farming pollute rivers?
Chicken feed contains phosphorus. That feed is brought into large, industrial chicken farms and fed to the birds. The phosphorus doesn’t disappear, but comes out in the chickens’ manure.
That manure is then spread on nearby fields as fertiliser. When it rains, some of the phosphorus is washed off the land and into nearby streams and rivers.
Once in the river, the extra phosphorus acts like fertiliser for algae. The algae grow very quickly, forming algal blooms. These blooms block sunlight and use up oxygen in the water.
As a result, river plants die and fish, and other wildlife struggle or die because there isn’t enough oxygen.
Urgent action is now required to save the river and stop the issue spreading to rivers around the UK.
Rivers at risk from agricultural pollution
The River Wye in south-west England has been devastated by the run-off from local intensive chicken farms. The area has a huge number of farms, producing over 20 million chickens at a time.
How does intensive farming affect the environment?
70% of the UK is farmland. The way we farm must be part of the solution.
Intensive farming negatively impacts our soils, water and air, degrading them rather than regenerating them.
Whole-farm solutions are key to reducing farming pollution. They make the most use of resources found within farms and minimally impact the environment around them.
Air pollution
Fossil fuels are used to create synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. This process gives off strong greenhouse gases. When we then use this fertiliser, excess is lost as nitrous oxide, making a bad situation worse.
Wildlife impact
With wildlife species in a worrying decline, we must ensure wildlife has a place on our farms.
Farming can be part of the solution - organic farms have up to 50% more wildlife.
Run off
Intensive farming often means large amounts of artificial inputs, including fertilisers, pesticides, and antibiotics. If not managed correctly, they end up spreading to surrounding ecosystems.
What impact does agriculture have on soil?
Healthy soil sustains all life on earth. We could not live without it.
Yet, one third of the world's agricultural soil is degraded. We lose 30 football pitches of soil every minute. UK soils are becoming increasingly depleted and less biodiverse.
We can no longer take soil for granted. We must support farmers to move to organic and nature-friendly, or agroecological, farming methods to regenerate soils.
Find out more about saving our soil
How does nitrogen contribute to pollution?
Synthetic fertilisers, excessive animal manure and intensive farming are polluting our environment with unsustainable amounts of nitrogen. This has terrible consequences for our rivers, soil, air and biodiversity.
There is no net zero without fixing fertiliser. We need to stop this excessive release of nitrogen into our environment.
How do farmers fix pollution?
With the right support and the adoption of nature-friendly farming methods, seen in agroecological and organic systems, farmers can be part of the solution.
These methods can drastically reduce farming pollution by reducing emissions, limiting run-off, protecting wildlife and regenerating soil.
What is the benefit of organic farming?
Organic follows a whole-system approach. It sustains people, animals, ecosystems and soils, rather than harming them.
By supporting farmers to switch to organic methods, we can stop the decline of our environment and support its regeneration.
We aim to transform how land is farmed and managed, supporting farmers, growers and foresters to adopt nature-friendly practices that restore soils, protect wildlife and help create a sustainable future for everyone. Find out how we are changing farming and forestry