nglian Water is a water company based in the East of England, responsible for water supply and recycling for more than 6 million people. It was interested in exploring the potential of a catchment nutrient balancing (CNB) scheme as an alternative means of managing and reducing nutrients (phosphorus and/or nitrogen) in water catchments. 3Keel was commissioned to help it develop a successful approach by engaging with farmers to obtain feedback on potential elements of the proposed scheme elements.

We used an online survey and one-to-one interviews. The survey reached nearly 100 farmers and a representative sample was then followed up with a representative sample by phone for deeper insights.

We found that farmers were unanimously interested in learning more about and potentially participating in a new CNB scheme in the catchment. Several elements were critical to the potential success of a new scheme. Farmers wanted flexibility in the choice of intervention and implementation, administration required would have to be light, and the price offered had to be fair. Given the current prevalence of ‘reverse auctions’ for catchment management, we were surprised that a “flat price plus” model was overwhelmingly preferred .

Anglian Water planned to use the findings to help design a new CNB scheme in a way that takes into consideration farmer motivations and interests, to ensure strong uptake and successful delivery once the scheme was rolled out.

Read the latest on Anglian Water’s Catchment Services.