The Code of Good Agricultural Practice, a single document that consolidates three previous codes last published in 1998, offers free best practice advice for farmers of all kinds to protect and enhance water, soil, and air quality in agricultural environments, with advice covering subjects including managing fertilisers and applying nutrients to avoid soil contamination, storing silage and handling effluents, and waste storage, recovery, and disposal.
Ms Kennedy said:
"English farmers do a fantastic job of producing high quality food and looking after England's historic landscape. This new code will make it simpler and easier for them to interpret legislation and will help them take effective steps to avoid pollution."
The code is appropriate for all farming systems, including organic farming, and is designed to help farmers, growers and other land managers make the most appropriate choices for their individual situations.
The code includes a section which provides advice for farmers on minimising nitrate loss to water. The practices described in this section are also included in the Action Programme of measures that farmers with land located in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) must implement. Farmers with land outside NVZs are encouraged to follow this advice to help prevent nitrate levels rising.
