Millions are spent by the water companies every year in removing contaminants from the water supply. A tax on nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides, or a system of quotas, would be a powerful incentive to change from chemical farming to organic farming. But it is not just economics that influence whether or not the farmers will switch to organic farming. Easiest to convert are mixed farms where manure from livestock can be used to fertilize arable crops. However, in the fifty years since the Second World War, this type of farming, which was formerly pre-eminent, has shrunk dramatically.
Technical support is also thin on the ground.
Whilst the Government offers a free initial consultancy for farmers considering conversion, once they have taken the plunge they are very much on their own, being forced to a large extent to rely on advice and encouragement from fellow organic farmers. Given the paltry amount of research and development that has gone into organic agriculture, it is remarkable how much has been achieved by the voluntary sector organizations such as Elm Farm Research Centre and the Henry Doubleday Research Association and farmers themselves. Though welcome, this has to be seen in the context of Government spending on all agricultural research of over 100 million annually, or the 4 billion cost of dealing with the bse epidemic. Much remains to be done. The Government needs to be farsighted and has to come up with ways of recycling and reusing domestic household waste on the land.