UK Statutory Instrument SI 2018 England

Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018

These Regulations set out provisions to reduce and prevent the pollution of waters from diffuse agricultural sources and apply to persons who have custody or control of agricultural land in England (“land managers”).

Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Enforced by
Environment Agency, DEFRA
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Prosecution 5 of 9 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 4 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Landlord8 Any Person1

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Landlord — also bound by 238 other Acts
Housing Act 1985 55 duties
Housing Act 1996 30 duties
Any Person — also bound by 2684 other Acts

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

s.003 Circumstances in which applying organic manure and manufactured fertiliser is prohibited (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Do not apply manure or fertiliser when soil is waterlogged, frozen or floodedLandlord

Unlimited fine

s.004 Applying organic manure and manufactured fertiliser to agricultural land (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Plan and manage the application of manure and fertiliser to landLandlord
s.005 Applying organic manure and manufactured fertiliser to cultivated agricultural land (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Use soil analysis results when planning fertiliser or manure applicationLandlord
s.006 Applying manufactured fertiliser near inland freshwaters or coastal waters, or near a spring, well or borehole (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Do not apply manufactured fertiliser within two metres of waterLandlord
s.007 Applying organic manure near inland freshwaters or coastal waters (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Observe minimum distance buffers when spreading organic manureLandlord
s.008 Applying organic manure near a spring, well or borehole (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Do not apply organic manure near water sourcesLandlord

Unlimited fine

s.009 Storing organic manure (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Store organic manure safely away from water sourcesLandlord

Unlimited fine

s.010 Managing livestock and soil (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Protect soil and water from agricultural pollutionLandlord

Unlimited fine

s.011 Offence and penalty (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Fail to comply with regulations 3‑10 (agricultural pollution)Any Person

Unlimited fine

7 other provisions — procedural and definitional
s.001 Citation, commencement, extent and application (opens in a new tab)
s.002 Interpretation (opens in a new tab)
s.012 Defence of due diligence (opens in a new tab)
s.013 Civil Sanctions (opens in a new tab)
s.014 Enforcement (opens in a new tab)
s.015 Guidance to the Agency (opens in a new tab)
s.016 Review (opens in a new tab)

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

Starting farming: complete compliance journey

New farmers: everything you need to register, comply, and access funding - from CPH numbers to environmental schemes. Follow this step-by-step journey …

Failed a farm inspection: what to do next

What to do when you receive a non-compliance notice from a farm inspection. Covers understanding your notice, your rights, taking corrective action, …

Regulations that apply to your farm

A quick decision-tree navigator that helps you identify which regulations apply to your specific farm based on what you keep, grow, and …

Farm compliance calendar

Month-by-month calendar of key farm compliance deadlines covering SFI scheme declarations, TB testing windows, NVZ closed periods, scheme payments, and tax filing. …

Farmer compliance checklist

A comprehensive compliance checklist for UK farmers covering livestock, environmental, animal welfare, health and safety, financial, and scheme obligations. Includes frequency of …

TB breakdown: what to do now

A step-by-step guide for cattle farmers who have just received positive TB test results. Covers immediate actions in the first 48 hours, …

Comply with Farming Rules for Water

Since 2 April 2018, the Farming Rules for Water have applied to every farmer and land manager in England, whether or not …
3 more guides that reference this instrument
Comply with Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations Prepare for a farm inspection Understand farm rules after cross-compliance ended

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.