Farming: Codes of Good Agricultural Practice
Government response on way forward following consultation on Code of Good Agricultural Practice to protect water, soil and air quality.
This Government response sets out how Defra has decided to revise the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice (CoGAP) for water, for soil and for air quality following a consultation that concluded in November 2007. The revision could not be finalised and the new code or codes published until the Nitrates Directive Action Programme had been agreed between Government Ministers and European Commission; this has now been agreed. Defra can now set out its timetable for publishing the revised CoGAP.
The consultation sought views on how the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice for water, for soil and for air should be updated. Defra invited views on three issues:
- Whether or not the three codes should be consolidated into one overarching code;
- Whether or not the code should provide integrated advice by farming activity rather than by natural resource;
- The general content, style and structure of a draft new code.
The CoGAPs series have been produced free of charge by Government Agricultural Departments for over 20 years. They were last revised in 1998.
42 responses to the consultation were received and a summary of their responses (PDF 157 KB) is available.
Having considered the responses carefully, Defra has decided to publish a single Code of Good Agricultural Practice that provides integrated advice based on farming activity. This approach aligns with the views expressed by the vast majority of those responding to the consultation.
Defra received many views on the factual content in the CoGAP and where appropriate, these have been accommodated in the drafting. The CoGAP will replace the existing codes each for water, for soil and for air: it has been written by technical specialists from Defra and Natural England.
Certain sections of the CoGAP form a Statutory Code under the Water Resources Act 1991. If the advice set out in the CoGAP on avoiding water pollution is not followed it will not be an offence, but it could be taken into account in any legal action i.e. it will not lead directly to prosecution but the Environment Agency will take this into account when issuing discharge prohibition notices. Conversely following the CoGAP is not a defence to the offence of polluting controlled waters but it could be taken into account in deciding on enforcement action, penalties and mitigation.
Page last modified: 6 January 2009
Page published: 1 July 2006