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Farming Today: Farming Today This Week

16/10/2010

Farming Today This Week

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Farming Today This Week

Charlotte Smith investigates why 1 in 5 rivers in England and Wales are not up to standard

Charlotte Smith visits a Leicestershire research centre to find out why one in five rivers in England and Wales do not meet European quality standards.

Three quarters of all rivers in England and Wales would fail new standards for river cleanliness being introduced in 2015. 'Diffuse' pollution, which seeps its way into watercourses along miles of farm land, can't be traced to individual farmers, so a 'whole catchment' approach to keeping rivers cleaner is now seen as the only way forward. On Farming Today This Week, Charlotte Smith visits The Allerton Project in Leicestershire which carries out research into pollution and rivers in the UK. Farmers across the UK visit the farm where the project takes place to learn about what they can do to help prevent fertilisers and pesticides running off their land into waterways. Charlotte asks if enough is being done to help meet European standards and if current Government projects to increase water quality are working. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Anna Varle.

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