To ask Her Majesty's Government what caused the increase of over 50 per cent in incidents of serious pollution from agriculture shown in the joint National Statistics and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publication The Environment in your Pocket 2009. [HL2183]

In 2008, February and June had unusually high numbers of incidents, with June being outside the range normally expected. These incidents raised the total and were caused by storage and control failure leading to slurry and silage releases. There were also a number of waste- related incidents. Inadequate and poorly maintained slurry and silage storage facilities are the most likely reason for the increase.