Main menu For students For teachers Explore our subjects Student events & courses

Explore

More for students
Sign in

Teaching Economics

In the News

Pollution breaches by farmers on the rise

Geoff Riley

23rd August 2017

Share this content:

The number of serious pollution breaches in the farming industry is growing as many farmers are unable or unwilling to meet the cost of pollution prevention.

This Guardian article provides an overview of the issue with lots of good examples of negative production externalities. There are worries that the frequency of pollution breaches will increase if farm incomes decline post Brexit along with the rise of industrial farms.

Here is a dramatic example of negative production externalities affecting a farming family.

Additional research here from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Share this content:

Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.

@tutor2uGeoff

You might also like

In the News Teaching Activity – How much would it cost to reduce ocean plastic waste? (June 2026)

22nd June 2026

In the News Teaching Activity – Should the government put a £5 deposit fee on vapes? (June 2026)

8th June 2026

Should SUV owners pay more towards filling in potholes? (Apr 2026)

23rd April 2026

UK Fuel Market: Rocket and Feather Pricing: A Case Study in Market Failure

19th March 2026

Industry Focus: UK Veterinary Services Market

12th March 2026

In the News Teaching Activity – Does the sunbed-tanning industry need more regulation? (Feb 2026)

26th February 2026

Will the Junk Food Ad Ban Actually Work? I Economics in the News

6th January 2026

In the News Teaching Activity – can regulation help reduce information failure? (Nov 2025)

27th November 2025