Water Pollution (Hansard, 20 October 1988)

§ 5. Mr. Pike
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further steps he is taking to reduce water pollution from farm sources; and if he will make a statement.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Richard Ryder)
In our response to the Environment Committee's third special report the Government announced a number of measures to deal with the farm pollution problem, including a commitment to draw up regulations to ensure proper containment of silage and slurry.

§ Mr. Pike
I congratulate the Minister on his first reply from the Dispatch Box. I am sure he will be aware that in many parts of the country nitrate in the water supplies is already at an unacceptably high level. There are problems in the aquifers, which will show up for some considerable time. What steps do the Government intend to take to introduce protection zones and to encourage the proper use of nitrates by farmers and environment-friendly farming?

§ Mr. Ryder
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words. The Government are looking at a range of options. We have not yet reached any conclusions, and before we do we shall consult various bodies. We look forward to finalising those conclusions in the relatively near future.

§ Mr. Conway
Does my hon. Friend agree that the attitude of the National Farmers Union and the Country Landowners Association to nitrogen pollution is positive? We are getting fed up with the Opposition kicking the farmers round the block all the time. The farmers—not the whingers opposite—are the true safeguarders of the environment.

§ Mr. Ryder
My hon. Friend is quite right. I particularly welcomed the speech made last month by Mr. David Naish, the vice-president of the NFU, in which he warned farmers that by continuing to pollute the rivers they were undermining their reputation in the countryside. Also, I draw attention to the fact that the maximum fines 1001 available to the courts for farmers who pollute the countryside are £2,000 and that many courts are not using those full penalties.

§ Mr. Duffy
Is the Minister aware that farming pollution has risen steadily in Yorkshire and Humberside in recent years and that the Yorkshire water authority has been hampered by that extraordinary section in the Control of Pollution Act 1974 that he apparently has in mind? Is the Minister saying that his right hon. Friend intends to repeal that section, which has enabled farmers to evade prosecution if they pleaded acts of omission arising from good agricultural practice? A similar defence was not available for industrial spillage.

§ Mr. Ryder
The hon. Gentleman has misunderstood my reply. I was reminding the House that £2,000 is the maximum penalty for polluting the countryside and that the courts are not using the maximum penalty. In the south-west, which has one of the worst pollution problems, the average fines that are dished out by the courts are £140, so it is quite clear that those penalties are not being used.

§ Mr. Michael Brown
I congratulate my hon. Friend on his appointment. After so many years, we are delighted to hear his voice again in the Chamber. Does he agree that there is a far greater danger of water pollution from fluoride than from nitrates?

§ Mr. Ryder
I thank my hon. Friend for his kind remarks. He knows that my views on fluoride do not coincide with his.

§ Mr. Ron Davies
I offer the Minister the Opposition Front Bench's congratulations on his appointment.
As the Minister clearly recognises that there is a problem with nitrate pollution, can he explain why the Government are embarking on a programme of cuts in research and development, much of which is directly related to optimising fertiliser application and therefore minimising pollution risks? Will he confirm that if the Barnes report is accepted, about 1,000 scientists, many of whom work on environmental protection, will be sacked? In view of the Prime Minister's recent conversion to the cause of environmental protection, does he think that he ought to ensure that his Department's actions support her views?

§ Mr. Ryder
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words of welcome.
In part, the answer to the hon. Gentleman's question depends on the amount of industry funding. I emphasise that Britain has an excellent record in this sphere—we spend more money than any other country in Europe bar Germany on research into pollution. We aim to keep up to that mark.