Farm Business Services

Diffuse pollution can arise from a number of small sources and travel across land before reaching water, making it difficult to deal with. Heavy rainfall can increase the impact of diffuse pollution, as rainfall washes contaminants off land and into surrounding watercourses. Individually, impact from these small losses can be unimportant, collectively over a catchment however, these inputs can be very significant and lead to high levels of soil particles, nutrients and faecal bacteria degrading surrounding water quality.

Diffuse pollution is far from just a rural problem, but farmers do need to be seen to be doing their bit to protect water quality and reduce pollution risk.  The 4 Point Plan (4PP) is a simple, DIY document for livestock farmers that can help to identify pollution risk, protect the environment and benefit the farm business.  It suggests cost effective actions and may generate ideas or solutions to a range of pollution-related issues on farms across Scotland.

The 4PP looks at four important topics -

• Dirty water management around the steading
• Better nutrient use
• RAMS – A Risk Assessment for Manure and Slurry
• Managing water margins

Implementing the 4PP can help to -

• Aid compliance with legislation
• Cut hidden costs through a change in practice (e.g. keeping clean and dirty water separate could mean less to collect, store, handle and spread, saving on valuable storage space, time spent dealing with slurry or dirty water and less trips to the field)
• Demonstrate you are taking pollution risks into account

What have farmers said about the 4PP?
Some comments from farmers about the 4PP -

• Completing the 4PP has helped us and we know we are protecting our watercourses around the farm from pollution risk, especially when spreading slurry or manure
• Even though we were already employing most of the recommended measures in the 4 Point Plan (4PP), I still found it a useful document. It provided a good reminder about some of the less obvious pollution risks
• The plan shows there are cheaper things most farmers can do to minimise pollution without massive investment
• Runoff from yards or hard standings is not something you would normally think about; the 4PP has encouraged me to take a critical look at the drainage around the steading
• Full of useful information, concise and well presented.

4PP meetings
Approximately 25 free meetings have been held around Scotland, raising the issue of pollution risks, current legislation and helping farmers to complete their 4PP quickly and accurately in an evening or afternoon.  

Some comments from farmers attending the 4PP meetings

• simple solutions make a refreshing change
• a good helpful workshop
• excellent
• very informative and educational

You can download a copy of the 4PP using the link on the right hand side of the screen.  Alternatively, you can pick up a paper copy of the 4PP at your local SERPID Office.