Farmers in England are being asked to urgently check if their land is in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) as there are only 28 days to lodge an appeal from the date of the first letters sent out from September.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. They include about 55% of land in England.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reviews NVZs every 4 years to account for changes in nitrate concentrations.

The last review was in December 2020. It did not find substantial changes in the patterns of nitrate pollution in England, so the areas designated as NVZs remain the same for 2021 to 2024.

Check if your land is an NVZ

Use the interactive map to find out if your land is in an NVZ. Check if your land is an NVZ

Your farm may be completely or partly in an NVZ. NVZ boundaries are drawn around whole fields, so there are no fields that are only partly in an NVZ.

Restrictions apply to each field that’s in an NVZ.

Call the Environment Agency on 03000 203791 if you have difficulty checking online or need a printed map.

How to Appeal 

You will get a decision notice informing you that your land is in an NVZ. Defra will send these from September to November 2021. You can appeal against this decision within 28 days of the date on the letter.

You have grounds to appeal if your land (or part of it):

• does not drain into water that has been identified as polluted
• drains into water that should not be identified as polluted

To appeal:

• read the guidance about how to make an NVZ appeal
• complete the notice of appeal form
• send it to the First-tier Tribunal