Land Use & the Environment

Landowners and farmers are regarded as key stakeholders in the management of the environment. The Basic Payment Scheme requires farmers to adhere to strict cross compliance and greening requirements whilst other grant schemes provide occupiers with financial incentives to look after the environment through prescribed activities.

We advise on the legal issues arising ever-shifting landscape of management schemes and their specific ecological requirements.

We also recognise that agriculture is operating under a strict statutory regime designed to minimise or prevent hazardous farming activities from having a negative impact on the environment. Our team of lawyers can guide farmers through the minefield of legislation which affects all aspects of farming life from crop spraying to the management and storage of slurry. We can also deal with nuisance claims arising out of farming activities which unreasonably interfere with another landowner’s use of land.

We advise on:

• Land contamination
• Greening
• Cross compliance
• Nuisance
• NVZs
• SSSIs
• Countryside Stewardship
• Air and Water pollution and prevention
• Fly tipping
• Hedgerows.