RDE419 Development of a simple nutrient loss tool based on Farmscoper outputs

It is intended for this work to be applied to various future scenarios under Natural England work areas relating to nutrient management. The two specific work areas which have identified the need for this work are detailed below:

1.

Diffuse Water Pollution Plans, Dorset Heaths SSSIs

Diffuse Water Pollution Plans: In 2015, WWF-UK, Angling Trust and Fish Legal were granted permission for a Judicial Review against the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency. It was based on the perceived non-consideration of the Water Protection Zones (WPZ) mechanism to deliver measures to tackle diffuse water pollution impacting upon water dependent European sites (previously known as Natura 2000 sites).

As a result, a Consent Order was agreed that requires the Environment Agency, working with Natural England, to evaluate and identify the measures necessary to achieve protected area objectives in each European site that is unfavourable condition due to diffuse pollution, as soon as practically possible. This includes:

1.

An assessment of how far the existing measures and mechanisms to tackle diffuse water pollution will lead to necessary improvements in water quality to meet these sites' conservation objectives.

2.

If these are judged to be insufficient, the appraisal of alternative measures and mechanisms, including WPZs.

3.

The publication of the results as an appendix to the jointly owned (Natural England and Environment Agency) Diffuse Water Pollution Plan (DWPP) or in the Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) where there is no DWPP.

Dorset Heaths SSSIs: 16 of the SSSIs that legally underpin the two Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) relevant to this work - the Dorset Heaths SAC and the Dorset Heaths (Purbeck & Wareham) and Studland Dunes SAC - are failing to meet favourable condition