Agriculture has been a feature of the British countryside for centuries and has often been the driver behind the landscape and cultural associations we appreciate and value today. However, technological advances and changes in production methods that have been introduced in recent times can lead to detrimental environmental change such as landscape change, eutrophication of watercourses and lakes, groundwater contamination, and reduced nature conservation and diversity. At the same time economic circumstances continue to exert their own forces on agricultural business and increasingly on the wider rural community.

Development aspirations often arise on land where agricultural use is the predominant activity. While pressure for residential and commercial development on greenfield sites has reduced in recent years, there are nonetheless other developments that can have significant effects. These are often infrastructure related and include pipelines, reservoirs and treatment works.

Entec is able to deploy a wide range of specialists able to address the many interactions that exist between the agricultural and rural economy and the wider natural and commercial environment in which it operates. This includes those familiar with the development or appraisal of policies and mechanisms to shape the interactions in a particular direction, as well as technical specialists able to identify appropriate mitigation where conflicting interactions arise.

Services

Entec's capabilities are outlined in full via the Services link on the left. Those most relevant to the agricultural sector include:

• Agricultural activity reviews
• Agricultural land quality assessments
• Nature conservation studies
• Freshwater ecology
• Surface water and groundwater studies
• Environmental water quality studies
• Landscape and visual impact assessments
• Rural economy
• Socio-economics and social impact assessments
• Environmental economics
• Sustainability appraisals and reporting

Our Customers

We have been actively advising clients on the interactions between their activities and the agricultural and rural economy for many years. An indication of this diverse client base is provided below:

• Defra
• Scottish Executive
• Nature Conservation Agencies (for England, Wales and Scotland)
• Countryside Agency
• Environment Agency
• SEPA
• Southern Water
• Northumbrian Water
• Bryant Homes
• Defence Estates
• Crown Estates
• Scottish Power

Project Profiles

Examples of Entec's experience in providing solutions in this sector are provided below.

Rights of Way Use and Demand Study Countryside Agency	View
Assessment of Access Proposals DETR (now DTLR)	View
Corporate Reporting for Sustainable Development – Agriculture Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department	View
Alternative Approaches to Assessing the Aesthetic Quality of the Environment Environment Agency	View
Agricultural Evaluation and Land Classification Various Clients	View
Project profiles are in PDF format and require Acrobat Reader to view - click on the link (right) to install. PDFs are screen resolution for quicker download times. Higher quality versions are available on request by e-mailing marketing@entecuk.co.uk.

Our Capabilities in Detail

For more detail on related skills and experience, download the capability statement below:

Further Details

For further details on our capabilities in the agricultural sector, please contact Paul Reaston on 0191 272 6100 or e-mail reasp@entecuk.co.uk.

Paul Reaston

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