Farmer has been ordered to pay £40,000 for slurry pollution
Monday 17th November 2025
A farmer has been ordered to pay £40,000, consisting of a £5,000 fine, £18,236.40 in compensation, £14,430.34 to the Environment Agency (EA), and a £2,000 victim surcharge. The farmer pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 38(1)(a) and Regulation 12(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
The farmer admitted to allowing a discharge of dairy slurry into a quarry without an environmental permit. A witness saw this incident and reported it to the EA. Officers from the EA then visited the site and discovered a lagoon containing thick, dirty foam with an odour of cattle slurry. The slurry had spread over a large area of the lagoon.