What should farmers do after receiving NVZ letter from Defra?
3rd April 2025
Farmers who find themselves in an NVZ (nitrate vulnerable zone) from 2025 to 2028 will receive a letter from Defra and will be given an opportunity to appeal the decision, NFU warns.
Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. They include about 55% of land in England.
Defra reviews NVZs every four years to account for changes in nitrate concentrations.
The first batch of notification letters was sent out by Defra to farmers and growers in the Humber, Northumbria and Solway Tweed districts on Friday 28th March.
If you receive one of these letters, the deadline to lodge an appeal against the decision is 28 days from the date on your notification letter.
The second batch of notification letters is expected to go to farmers in the South East and Thames River Basin districts at the end of April.
The third batch is expected to go to farmers in the South West, Dee, Severn, Anglian and North West River Basin districts at the end of May, NFU explained.
Get help
Appeals to Defra can only be submitted if land does not drain into water identified as polluted or if land drains into water that should not be identified as polluted.
NFU said that it can offer general guidance on NVZ designations and how to appeal against incorrect designations.
For more information on the NVZ appeals process in 2025, contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.
A spokesperson for the NFU said: “Given that NVZ designations have not changed from those in place between 2021 and 2024, it is likely you will already know whether all or part of your farm falls within one. However, you can now access an interactive map of pre-appeals 2021 to 2024 designations on the Environment Agency website. Simply enter your location in the bar at the top.
“A dialogue box should then pop up, and by using the arrows to navigate, you can view the reason for designation.
“In some cases, your farm may fall within more than one designation. This is because the same land can be designated for three different reasons: surface water pollution, groundwater pollution, and eutrophic coastal waters, estuaries, or lakes.”
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