Two-thirds of cattle farms in north Devon cause river pollution

Nearly nine in 10 farms inspected failed to comply with regulations, according to a report from the Environment Agency

The government's efforts to protect UK rivers have been labelled an abject failure" after two-thirds of farms in Devon were found to be causing pollution when inspected by the Environment Agency.

Between 2016 and 2020, the agency visited more than 100 cattle farms in north Devon to check levels of compliance with environmental regulations, particularly around safe slurry storage and spreading.