Farmers across Northern Ireland have been encouraged to take advantage of the Environmental Farming Scheme to help improve water quality on their farms.

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots spoke out during a visit to a farm in Katesbridge, County Down, where he inspected buffer strips erected under EFS within the Upper Bann catchment.

Water quality measures under the Environmental Farming Scheme are being implemented by farmers in the Upper Bann catchment and these are co-ordinated by the Rivers Trust under an EFS Group project. AfBI and University of Ulster are research partners in the project, which is part of ongoing efforts to improve the water quality in one of Northern Ireland's most important water ways.

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Minister Poots said: "I would encourage any farmer to take up the challenge of improving and protecting water quality on their farm. We know that riparian (watercourse) buffer strips improve water quality because they reduce the risk of nutrients from manure and fertilisers and pesticide run-off contaminating watercourses. They also prevent livestock accessing the watercourse, eroding the banks and causing sediment loss. We also know that these impacts on water quality are widespread, so I would urge farmers to avail of the water quality options within EFS to help tackle this issue if they haven't already done so."

The EFS, which is currently open for applications until 10 September, offers support for a choice of 2 metre or 10 metre wide riparian buffers which can be planted with clumps of native trees if required to improve bank stability and reduce peak flood flow.