A SHORT-TERM project in the Torridge District has been working with farmers to reduce pollution entering our watercourses. Funded by the Environment Agency and carried out in conjunction with the North Devon Biosphere, the Agricultural Diffuse Pollution Project has focused on three sub-catchments of the River Torridge — Pulworthy Brook near Highampton, Whiteleigh Water near Black Torrington and the Waldon near Shebbear. The sub-catchments are failing to meet EU Water Framework Directive standards for 'good ecological status'. The key role of the project was to work with farmers to combat the problems of diffuse pollution caused by run-off from pesticides, fertilisers, soils and manure. The project addressed these issues by providing advice and grant support for installing measures to alleviate pollution. Good quality rivers are vital for sustaining fisheries, wildlife and local businesses, as well as providing clean drinking and bathing water, because eventually everything is carried to the sea. Darren Furse, a farmer who teamed up with the project, put a huge effort into upgrading his farm infrastructure to provide lasting improvements. He was really grateful for the support of the project, which was able to fund 50% of the work. He said: 'Through the Diffuse Pollution Project I was able to receive advice and a grant to resolve various issues around the farm buildings. 'The improvements will reduce the chance of valuable nutrients ending up in the river and a greater chance of them being beneficial on my fields.' Izzy Moser, who managed the grant scheme, was impressed with the work achieved by the farmers in such a short time-frame. 'The farmers were a pleasure to work with and, despite the difficult weather, they battled on to ensure that the work was implemented ahead of the tight deadline.' Several farmers, including Mr Furse, funded additional measures without the 50% grant support to make long-term improvements to their farms and mitigate diffuse pollution. The project co-funded a variety of measures following report recommendations, including gutter replacements, clean and dirty water separation, culvert installation, livestock troughs (as an alternative to drinking from the watercourses), concrete yard renewal and gateway re-surfacing. All of these instalments were carefully designed to ensure that agricultural run-off was minimised. Overall, the project delivered 17 specialist farm advice visits — either infrastructure audits or soil and nutrient testing — and provided over £58,000 of grant aid to 12 different farmers. Tom Hynes of the North Devon Biosphere co-ordinated the project with Brett Grosvenor of the Environment Agency. He said he was very pleased with the outcomes. 'Farming is one of the most important activities in the Biosphere Reserve and rivers are one of our most important habitats. This project successfully helped to benefit both,' he said. The North Devon Biosphere continues to support other projects to improve the quality of our rivers, including the Taw River Improvement Project and the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area. For more information, please contact Tom Hynes or Izzy Moser on 01271 388647, tom.hynes@ devon.gov.uk or [email protected]">[email protected]