England: Over 150 Farms Illegally Using Local Water Sources
Environment Agency inspections revealed 199 breaches by 154 farms between 2022 and June, with 141 incidents posing a foreseeable impact on health or the environment. Despite these breaches, only one farmer faced prosecution and one received a fine, while the majority received warnings or advice. A concerning number of farms were found abstracting water without proper licenses, and only a fraction of licenses are being inspected, raising concerns about the lack of deterrent for over-abstraction. Advocates like Wildfish are calling for increased inspections and stricter enforcement to address the issue.
John Q. Hosedrinker