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Three Dorset farm companies have paid £33,500 to environmental charities after an Environment Agency investigation into their failure to store slurry correctly.
Crockway Farms Ltd, Drummers Farming Limited and Crutchley Farms Partnership were found to have failed to follow regulations designed to protect local waterways. In two cases, poorly managed slurry stores led to pollution entering watercourses. In the third, a farm installed new slurry stores without securing the required permit.
All three businesses accepted enforcement undertakings – a sanction that avoids prosecution in return for funding environmental projects – and have since introduced stronger measures to ensure full compliance with environmental rules.
The money will now support local projects aimed at improving and protecting Dorset’s natural environment.
Case one: Drummers Farming Limited
Drummers Farming Limited is a farm near Sherbourne in Dorset which caused two slurry pollution incidents in spring 2024.
In April, slurry from its lagoon entered the Leigh Tributary of the Beer Hackett Stream (also known as the River Wriggle).
Alarms activated, but because the event happened during the middle of the night, immediate action was not taken.
In the second incident, laboratory analysis of water samples collected during the Environment Agency investigation showed levels of ammonia which could be lethal to aquatic life.
In both cases, the impact of the slurry could be identified over 1.2 miles downstream.
Changes have been put in place to reduce future risk, including a significant investment in slurry storage, removing an overflow pipe and better monitoring the use of slurry.
The farm gave £10,000 to the Dorset Wildlife Trust, which will be used for the Winfrith and Tadnoll Wetland Restoration Project.
Case two: Crutchley Farms Partnership.
Environment Agency officers investigated pollution in the Mangerton Brook and traced it to Marsh Farm, near Bridport, in October 2023.
Environment Agency officers traced pollution to Marsh Farm in October 2023.Slurry was found entering the stream from a concrete tank’s overflow pipe because a pump had failed
The watercourse had an unpleasant odour and was covered in sewage fungus.
Organic waste was identifiable over 300 m downstream from the farm, with significant deterioration in the ecology over 800 m.
The farm put measures in place to prevent further pollution incidents, including a text warning system, and daily inspections.
The company gave £7,500 to the Dorset Wildlife Trust for a trees and wetland project.
Case three: Crockway Farms Ltd
Crockway Farms Ltd is an intensive pig farm which failed to obtain an environmental permit before making major changes to the site by installing two new slurry stores.
Strict permits are required for pig farms, as the Environment Agency must consider ammonia emissions and the risk of effluent discharges.
Ammonia in the atmosphere can be harmful to human health and the environment.
Crockway Farms gave £16,000 to the Farm and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, a conservation charity in Dorset which works to reduce farm run off and flood risk in catchments.
Senior Environment Officer David Womack said:
Slurry regulations protect people and the environment. It is essential everyone follows the rules.
If a farmer is concerned about their slurry storage or environmental compliance, get in touch with us. We are ready to lend support and advice.
We’d rather be approached earlier rather than later, after an environmental incident has happened.
Background
What is an enforcement undertaking (EU)?
An EU is available to the Environment Agency as an alternative sanction to prosecution or monetary penalty for dealing with certain environmental offences.
It is a legally-binding voluntary agreement proposed by a business (or an individual) when the EA has reasonable grounds to suspect that an environmental offence has occurred.
EUs for environmental offences were introduced under the Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010 and the Environmental Civil Sanctions (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2010.
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