Farming's environmental costs top £1.5 billion per year, says Agency

The environmental costs of UK agriculture amount to at least £1.5 billion per year, the Environment Agency will say in a consultation paper to be issued shortly. Facing strong deregulatory pressures from the farming industry and parts of Whitehall, the Agency does not propose any major regulatory initiatives — but wants financial support for farmers to implement waste and nutrient management plans, and payments under countryside management schemes to be made conditional on farmers' compliance with environmental codes.