SILAGE making is getting into full swing and the Environment Agency is appealing to farmers to make sure they take steps to minimise the risk of pollution.
"Farmers have made tremendous progress in recent years to reduce pollution from silage effluent," said the agency's rural land use officer Bob Harvey.
"The enormous polluting strength of silage effluent - up to two hundred times more polluting than untreated sewage - is now widely appreciated, as is the need to keep even very small quantities away from streams and ditches."
He said: "Farmers are taking more care and pollution incidents have reduced. We are, however, worried at the potential for increased problems this year.
"After a cold start to the season, grass has grown quickly, giving a higher moisture content and the wet weather will have disrupted wilting. Both of these factors can increase effluent volumes substantially and some farmers could get caught out."
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