What practical steps should I take?

Check areas around watercourses for poaching and erosion risk. If erosion or poaching is a problem, you could consider mitigation measures to reduce the risk of diuse pollution such as: removing livestock or signicantly reducing stocking density in badly aected elds; erecting temporary or permanent fencing to exclude livestock from badly eroded areas to give vegetation time to recover; providing alternative drinking water supplies (eg a pasture pump may be a suitable alternative in some instances).

Further information
Controlled Activities Regulations: A practical guide Specic regulatory advice about the activities you carry out. www.sepa.org.uk/water/water_publications.aspx Diuse Pollution GBRs More detailed information on the new DP GBRs. www.sepa.org.uk/wfd www.sears.scotland.gov.uk Guidance on best management practices Practical advice for farmers on reducing the risk of pollution from agricultural activities. www.sepa.org.uk/bmp NetRegs Up-to-date advice on environmental regulations for small and medium size businesses. www.netregs.gov.uk Prevention of environmental pollution from agricultural activity (PEPFAA) code guides www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/37428/0014235.pdf www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/46729/0024251.pdf 4 Point plan The Scottish Agricultural College guidance on reducing diuse pollution risk and protecting water quality. www.sac.ac.uk/mainrep/pdfs/fourpointplan.pdf Tibre A Scottish Natural Heritage initiative showing how technology in farming can benet the environment. www.snh.org.uk/tibre

Reducing the risk of water pollution

Diuse Pollution General Binding Rule (DP GBR) 19: keeping livestock

Position feeding rings away from watercourses and eld access to make sure vehicle tracks dont link polluting run-o directly or via the road to a nearby burn or river. The Scotland Rural Development Programme provides funding for riparian buer strips, fencing, grass margins, beetlebanks and shelter belts, all of which will help mitigate diuse pollution.

What is SEARS?
SEARS is a partnership delivering rural and environmental services on behalf of the Scottish Government. SEARS provides: a streamlined service easy access to information and advice a consistent and responsive service a customer focused service.

For further information on the Diuse Pollution GBRs please get in touch with your local oce or contact SEARS: Tel: 0845 30 20 50 Email: info@sears.scotland.gov.uk www.sears.scotland.gov.uk

What is diuse water pollution?

Often driven by rainfall, water pollution from diuse sources arises from the loss of potential pollutants such as nutrients, chemicals, bacteria and soil, into the local water environment. Individually, losses from land use may be of little risk to water quality, but when combined across a river catchment they can impact on ecology, drinking and bathing water quality.

Managing diuse pollution

Both what you do on the land and how you manage run-o are key to controlling diuse pollution. Farmers already following widely accepted standards of good practice, such as the PEPFAA Code, should already comply with the Diuse Pollution GBRs. In force since April 2008, the DP GBRs require you to prevent: signicant erosion or poaching of any land within ve metres of surface water or wetlands; livestock entering any land that is within ve metres of a spring that supplies water for human consumption, or a well or borehole that has not been capped to prevent the ingress of water; the positioning of any livestock feeders within 10 metres of any surface water or wetland.

Why are these requirements necessary?

Livestock need access to drinking water, but unchecked access to burns and rivers can lead to poaching and erosion of the banks and the bed of the watercourses. Livestock slurries and manures deposited directly into the water add nutrients and faecal bacteria, which can aect coastal bathing waters or local drinking supplies. Over time, soil erosion and dung can also reduce water quality and aect the number and types of insects, birds and sh using the water. The DP GBRs require specic distances to be kept between livestock feeders and watercourses. They also cover soil erosion caused when livestock access watercourses. Reducing the risk of poaching and soil erosion can benet water quality both on the farm and in the wider area, helping species such as dippers, trout, salmon and otters.

Benets for the business Reducing the risk of faecal bacteria contaminating drinking water supplies will also benet soil quality, as the faecal nutrients will remain on land. The risk of erosion will be reduced as soil remains on the farm, greater stability of watercourse banks. The DP GBRs may help you to comply with good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).

Benets for the environment Less faecal matter entering watercourses and bathing waters will result in increased amenity value and water quality. Reducing soil loss could mean less sedimentation, turbidity and nutrient enrichment.