Dairy farm fined as cattle slurry pollutes river

The slurry was traced back to Manor Farm Dairy

A dairy farm in Dorset has been fined £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,158.50 after cattle slurry was found to be polluting a nearby river.

The owners of Manor Farm Dairy, in Hilfield, Dorchester, pleaded guilty to causing a discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into a local river at Taunton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

In March 2024, an Environment Agency (EA) officer discovered olive-green discolouration and foam in the watercourse at Bailey Ridge Lane, near Leigh, in Sherbourne, following a report of pollution from a member of the public.

The officer then followed the watercourse upstream where it was traced to the farm.

David Womack, senior environment officer, said the incident was "avoidable".

He said the farmers should have reported the slurry to the EA "as soon as possible", where they could have got advice on how to deal with it.

"Wetter weather and TB restrictions contributed to larger volumes of slurry being produced in this instance which is why farmers are advised to regularly look at their slurry stores," he said.

"We can give advice on current legislation, help ensure slurry calculations are accurate and reduce the pollution risk by identifying non-compliant structures."

An EA report noted the pollution caused a significant drop in water quality as the slurry spill had a severe impact for 2km, with further impact also seen 4.5km from the source.

The fine was originally set at £9,000 but reduced for an early guilty plea.