Tenfold increase in farm inspections needed by some councils to meet EPA targets this year [Video]

OVER HALF OF local councils queried will need to substantially increase their farm inspections of slurry spreading and management in order to meet targets set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this year.

This investigation by Noteworthy also found that most councils only inspect a tiny proportion of farms in their area, while two councils included on the EPA’s list did not conduct any planned inspections of farms last year.

Fifteen councils will have to more than double their farm inspections in 2024, with the increase required to meet EPA targets in some areas surpassing 600%. Two local authorities will also have to increase their inspections tenfold if they are to reach targets.

We can also reveal that some local authorities are falling far behind in 2024 and will struggle to meet their targets before year end. Several councils that provided partial data to us for 2024 have completed less than 20% of their …