Diffuse pollution control

Diffuse pollution due to agriculture, forestry, urban drainage and other sources is a very complex problem, especially as the source is not easy to track and as a consequence responsibilities for pollution are often difficult to prove.

Tackling pollution from a number of small, dispersed sources requires a combination of some or all of the following voluntary or compulsory measures:

• Adequate support for voluntary measures including adoption of catchment sensitive farming and forestry practices and measures to reduce unsustainable, intensive farming and forestry.
• Application of cross compliance to subsidies, to avoid them being given to polluters, including agricultural producers who are having a negative impact on the environment.
• In Europe, increase the extent of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and ensure adequate enforcement activity in these areas.
• Raise taxes and fees on emissions of pollutants by industry so that they are just high enough to represent a real incentive to pollute less.
• Support implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and make their adoption and allocation of maintenance more straightforward.