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practices. One in four (27%) land managers attending the ESF events in February to
April 2005 said that no other organisation or initiative apart from ESF had played a
part in persuading them to change farming practice regarding diffuse pollution.
Advisors’ Competence and Confidence in Delivering Advice on Diffuse
Pollution
Prior to attending the ESF events one in four of the advisors (25%) said that they
had insufficient understanding of the causes of ‘diffuse pollution’ and one in four
(27%) of the advisors said that they had insufficient understanding of the effects of
‘diffuse pollution’ on farms. Survey results indicated that prior to attending the ESF
events held between February and September 2005, a considerable proportion of
advisors (60% or more) were not ‘very confident’ in providing advice in a number
of areas relating to diffuse pollution management. Even more (70–80%) were not
‘very confident’ to give advice on biobeds, composting, waste minimisation and safe
disposal of waste chemicals (Table 1).
Table 1:
Advisors’ confidence in providing advice in order to reduce pollution
Advice area
% Very
confident
% Quite
confident
Nutrient planning 33 45 18
Manure management 32 50 15
Dirty water management 17 47 17
Water margin management 29 54 18
Buffer strips 22 48 11
Biobeds 7 27 60
Safe disposal of waste chemicals 24 41 30
Composting 8 34 53
Waste minimisation 10 49 40
Soil compaction / poaching 31 53 12
Soil erosion 30 51 13
Baseline no 220 (‘no responses’ not included).
Management Changes
% Not
confident
The majority of land managers were taking some measures to manage soil damage
and erosion prior to attending the ESF events but were further motivated to take
further action towards soil management, e.g. using options in ELS to prevent soil
erosion and to provide buffer strip margins next to ditches, water courses and
roads. Almost half of the land managers attending the ESF events on nutrients were
already producing a nutrient management plan but post event were now producing
or intending to produce a nutrient management plan. All but 3% of advisors are now
advising or planning to advise their clients to produce a nutrient management plan.
Advisors appear to be the most confident about advising their clients on nutrient
management and the majority said they were recommending most of the specific
actions prior to attending the ESF event where appropriate. Seventy-five per cent
of land managers attending the ESF events believe that farmers as a whole need
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