UK rivers post-Brexit: risks from new agricultural rules

UK rivers are under pressure. Following Brexit, the government removed key agricultural rules that once required farmers to leave buffer strips along rivers and waterways. These strips acted as natural barriers, reducing pollution, protecting wildlife, and preventing erosion. With these safeguards gone, rivers face new risks, from declining biodiversity to worsening water quality.

What changed?

Under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), cross-compliance rules mandated that farmers leave at least two metres of buffer land between arable fields and watercourses. These vegetated margins helped to trap sediment, absorb fertilisers, and provide habitat for riverbank species. Since Brexit, these protections have been dropped, leaving riverbanks exposed.

Without these buffers, pesticides, fertilisers, and topsoil can flow directly into rivers. The loss of this natural filtration system means pollutants reach water systems more easily, accelerating ecological degradation.

Further reading: Post-Brexit farming rules

Why it matters

Wildlife loss: Many species, such as water voles and aquatic insects, rely on riverbank vegetation for food, shelter, and breeding. Habitat loss disrupts these populations. Learn more about riverbank habitats

Pollution: Fertiliser runoff increases nutrient levels, leading to algal blooms that deplete oxygen and suffocate aquatic life.

Flood risk: Vegetation helps stabilise riverbanks. Without it, erosion accelerates, raising flood risks for nearby communities.

Water quality decline: Pollutants affect drinking water sources and recreational waterways, impacting both public health and local economies. Water quality UK data

These effects are compounding existing threats, such as climate change and urban runoff, placing UK river ecosystems under unprecedented strain.

How farmers are responding

Many farmers are stepping up voluntarily. Some are planting their own buffer zones, enrolling in local conservation schemes, or using precision farming technologies to reduce fertiliser use and soil disturbance.

However, without mandatory rules or robust incentives, progress is inconsistent. While certain regions show strong engagement, others remain vulnerable, with large stretches of river left unprotected.

See examples of voluntary farming initiatives

What can be done

Policy reform: Reintroducing mandatory buffer strips through the UK’s new Environmental Land Management schemes could restore lost protections. Tying them to funding would ensure wider adoption. DEFRA policy updates

Community action: River trusts, volunteer groups, and citizen scientists can play a powerful role in restoring riverbanks, monitoring water quality, and raising awareness. River Trust action

Individual choices: Supporting sustainable agriculture, reducing personal chemical use, and urging MPs to prioritise river health are meaningful steps anyone can take. Find your MP

Why businesses should care

For businesses with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities, river health matters. Clean, resilient waterways support agriculture, logistics, and local communities, all of which feed into long-term operational stability.

Tools like eco-shaper’s carbon and ESG calculators can help companies track and reduce their environmental footprint, while improving transparency and accountability.

Similarly, boosting supply chain resilience depends on healthy ecosystems. Erosion, flooding, and biodiversity loss all pose risks to sourcing, logistics, and compliance across sectors.

Looking ahead

Post-Brexit changes to agricultural rules are reshaping how we manage land, but rivers and communities could pay the price. Protecting waterways requires coordinated policy, grassroots engagement, and business leadership. By acting now, we can reverse the damage and secure cleaner, healthier rivers for future generations.

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