The government is expanding the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) programme to cover every farm in England.

The programme – which is a partnership between Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency – provides free 1-2-1 advice to farmers to help them reduce water and air pollution through management of farmyard manure and soils among other things.

In recent years it has reduced the number of serious water pollution incidents by almost a fifth, and helped farmers access £100m in grants to help protect the environment.

The funding for the programme will now be almost doubled, with an additional £17m over the next three years. The new annual budget will be £30m, up from £16.6m in 2020 / 21.

The extra funding will provide more Natural England advisers to help farmers implement practical solutions to reduce pollution, including planting new grassland buffer strips to improve drainage, establishing river side trees to reduce run off into rivers and using better slurry storage facilities to avoid accidental spillage.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow visited Higher Blindmoor Farm in Chard on Friday, to meet farmer Henry Pym, who has engaged with Catchment Sensitive Farming for a number of years.

His small family dairy farm is at the headwater of the River Yarty, which runs into the River Axe – a priority catchment for improvement. As a result of the advice received, he has successfully applied for grants to grow herbal leys (grassland), which have helped with soil health, structure and drainage. The herbal leys mean no fertiliser is needed, cutting operating costs and preventing fertiliser run-off. The quality and output of milk from his dairy herd has also benefitted from the grassland that he's planted.

Henry Pym said: " The advice from the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme and the Environment Agency has helped us better understand how to improve the water, soil and air quality around the farm. Alongside the support of CSF grants, we have been able to carry out the necessary improvements to make our practices more environmentally sustainable for the future.

"For example, herbal leys have been a real bonus as they are not only very environmentally beneficial, but also have agricultural benefits from increased intakes due to their diverse species. The herbal leys receive no artificial fertiliser which is a win-win for the farm and the environment!"