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Catchment Sensitive Farming Partnership
The Biosphere Reserve area is based on water catchments. Rainfall falling high on Dartmoor or Exmoor flows to the north Devon coast and what happens on the farmland in those catchments can have a huge impact on river water quality from the uppermost reaches down-stream to the estuaries and the sea. Water quality has knock on effects on the fish, plants and bugs that live in those waters and on us, the people, who use that water for recreation, for water sports and for abstraction.
In 2009 the Taw Torridge and North Devon Streams Catchment Sensitive Farming Partnership was formed by Natural England, the Environment Agency and the North Devon AONB and Biosphere Service. The partnership has carried out work on reducing diffuse pollution from agriculture in the following priority areas- Hartland Streams, Upper Torridge, Sheepwash and Shebbear.
During 2011/12 the Biosphere Catchment Sensitive Farming project is focussing on the catchments of Combe Martin, Ilfracombe Hele and Ilfracombe Capstone due to stricter Bathing Water Quality Standards coming into force from May 2012. The main theme is to look at ways of preventing faecal indicator organisms from entering watercourses and affecting beach water quality. Creedy Associates have been taken on to
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Run two workshops (one in Ilfracombe and one in Combe Martin) about reducing diffuse pollution from agriculture
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Carry out 25 farm visits each followed up with a report on how to reduce diffuse pollution from entering watercourses on the farm
A small capital grant fund is available for prioritised work on these farms.
The project continues to bring together farmers to highlight diffuse pollution issues, provide advice and grant money to identify and implement solutions on a whole farm basis.
Project Newsletter 1 (December 2009)
Project Newsletter 2 (February 2010)