HC Deb 06 February 1987 vol 109 cc843-4W
Mr. Onslow

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to advise farmers on methods of preventing urban pollution; and if he will make a statement

Mr. Donald Thompson

My Department has a long-established poicy of encouraging the farming industry to adopt practices which minimise the risk of all forms of pollution. This is achieved through farm visits, on-farm events, appropriate publicity and a wide range of literature which is continuously updated in the light of new knowledge and experience. My officials will continue to offer assistance and free advice to farmers so as to enable them to aim for high standards of environmental protection.

Mr. Onslow

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total numbers of serious farm pollution incidents reported in each of the years 1985 and 1986; and how many of these were caused by silage, cows, pigs and other causes respectively.

Mr. Donald Thompson

Information is not collected by my Department on all forms of pollution. The most recent details available of water pollution incidents are set out in the report on water pollution from farm waste 1985 issued jointly by my Department and the Water Authorities Association in July 1986. That report showed that of 3,510 farm pollution incidents in 1985, 572 were classified as serious. These figures need to be considered in the context of the grand total of over 18,000 water pollution incidents from all sources recorded for the financial year 1984/85.

A breakdown of these 572 incidents is given at table 8 of the report, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. MacGregor

[pursuant to his reply, 12 January 1987, c. 92]: The Treasury has made no such contributions and does not keep records in a form that readily identifies such payments by other Departments. The following list (which may not therefore be complete) shows the payments, including those for the current year, identified by our enquiries.