Nitrates (Hansard, 13 June 2002)

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to consult farmers and growers about the Government's proposed changes to the designation methodology for nitrate vulnerable zones. [61559]

§ Mr. Meacher
Details of the methodology used to identify potential new Nitrate Vulnerable Zones were set out in Annexe A of the recent consultation paper "How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?".
We are currently considering all the issues raised responses to the consultation, including comments on this methodology, and hope to make an announcement soon about how we will proceed.

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will place in the Library a detailed statement in the changes in methodology that she is applying now to the designation of nitrate vulnerable zones compared with the methodology employed at the time of earlier designations; [61558]
(2) what the scientific basis is for the Government's changes to the designation methodology for nitrate vulnerable zones. [61554]

§ Mr. Meacher
Below is a table that explains the scientific development of the methodology used to identify Nitrate Vulnerable Zones between the time that the first designations were made in 1996 and the publication of our consultation paper "How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?" in December 2001.
1365W

Developments in methodology for identifying nitrate vulnerable zones

1996 Methodology Proposals set out in "How Should England Implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?", DEFRA December 2001

Designation as NVZ of all land draining into polluted waters. Only land draining directly into the polluted water was identified as an NVZ. Land draining into the polluted water via a tributary was excluded. All land in catchment draining into polluted waters identified as an NVZ, as nitrate leaching from any of this land contributes to the pollution. Precise upstream catchment area identified using hydrologically accurate model and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Eutrophk NVZs

Designation of eutrophic area NVZs. Criteria for identifying eutrophic waters developed, but not applied in time for 1996 designations. Criteria applied to identify estuarine/coastal areas where agricultural nitrate contributes to eutrophication.

Groundwater NVZs

Extend coverage beyond just drinking water boreholes to all groundwaters. Monitoring data from Water Supply boreholes. All available public and private borehole monitoring data has been gathered and fed into the development of a GIS-based groundwater vulnerability model to identify land draining into all high nitrate, highly vulnerable groundwater areas. Scientifically robust, developed by EA's National Groundwater Centre and a consortium of consultants including University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences.

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she has(a) sought and (b) plans to seek advice from the European Commission on the legality of designating the whole of England as a nitrate vulnerable zone under Article 3(5) of the EC Nitrates Directive while different approaches are pursued in respect of Scotland and Wales. [61557]

§ Mr. Meacher
We have kept the European Commission informed of the options that we are considering for implementing the Nitrates Directive, which were set out in our consultation document "How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?". We are currently considering responses to the consultation and hope to make an announcement soon about how we will proceed, at which point we will inform the Commission further.

§ Mr. Lidington
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the proposals by the Scottish and Welsh executives for the implementation of the EC Nitrates Directive; and if she intends to apply the(a) Scottish and (b) Welsh approaches to the Directive in her policy for its implementation in England. [61556]

§ Mr. Meacher
The Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales both intend to implement the EC Nitrates Directive through applying Action Programme measures within discrete Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs). This is one of the options set out in our consultation document "How should England implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?". We are currently considering responses to the consultation and hope to make an announcement soon about how we will proceed.

Developments in methodology for identifying nitrate vulnerable zones
	1996 Methodology	Proposals set out in "How Should England Implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?", DEFRA December 2001
Designation as NVZ of all land draining into polluted waters.	Only land draining directly into the polluted water was identified as an NVZ. Land draining into the polluted water via a tributary was excluded.	All land in catchment draining into polluted waters identified as an NVZ, as nitrate leaching from any of this land contributes to the pollution. Precise upstream catchment area identified using hydrologically accurate model and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
Eutrophk NVZs
Designation of eutrophic area NVZs.	Criteria for identifying eutrophic waters developed, but not applied in time for 1996 designations.	Criteria applied to identify estuarine/coastal areas where agricultural nitrate contributes to eutrophication.
Groundwater NVZs
Extend coverage beyond just drinking water boreholes to all groundwaters.	Monitoring data from Water Supply boreholes.	All available public and private borehole monitoring data has been gathered and fed into the development of a GIS-based groundwater vulnerability model to identify land draining into all high nitrate, highly vulnerable groundwater areas. Scientifically robust, developed by EA's National Groundwater Centre and a consortium of consultants including University of East Anglia's School of Environmental Sciences.