Achieving better compliance in the agricultural sector through networking and partnership working of environmental and agricultural inspectorates

Project description and aims

The European Commission identified this project area as a priority to IMPEL. They highlighted that there are poor levels of compliance with the Water Framework Directive (diffuse pollution & illegal abstraction) and the Nitrates Directive and that a gap has been identified between “environmental” and “agricultural” inspectorates. As a result they wished to see enhanced networking of different regulatory agencies to achieve higher levels of compliance in the agricultural sector, an exchange of pertinent information and current best practice with respect to diffuse pollution and the control of nitrates.

In most member countries there are often multiple organisations carrying out compliance inspections on sites within the agricultural sector. Although the agencies are usually different there is often a common overlapping goal to achieve compliance and protect the environment.

This project brought regulatory experts from both environmental inspectorates and agricultural inspectorates together with the explicit aim of improving compliance levels in the agricultural sector and most notably in the areas of diffuse pollution (WFD) and the control of nitrates.