Supporting River Axe dairy farms

Now in its fourth phase, Triple Axe has been expanding tailored advice, workshops, and funding to help farmers tackle phosphorus and improve water quality across the catchment. 

The Triple Axe project supports dairy farmers in the River Axe catchment to improve environmental compliance and farm resilience, with a particular focus on nutrient management and water quality.  

This initiative aligns with the Environment Agency’s ambition to help farms meet and exceed regulatory standards, including SSAFO (Silage, Slurry, and Agricultural Fuel Oil regulations) and the Farming Rules for Water (FRfW), in response to concerns about the declining condition of the River Axe SSSI and SAC. 

Since its launch in 2022, Triple Axe has been funded through Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) grants from the Blackdown Hills, Dorset, and East Devon National Landscapes, alongside support from the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Investment Fund (WEIF). Delivery has been led by Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) South West, engaging dairy farmers across the catchment to build more resilient businesses while improving water quality. The approach has gained endorsement from key stakeholders including Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), NFU, and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB). 

The Triple Axe Project 2024–25 built on three previous rounds, which focused on developing Farm Resilience Plans through one-to-one advice and supported 19 dairy farms across the River Axe catchment to strengthen environmental compliance and farm resilience, with a targeted focus on phosphate management and water quality. Building on three previous phases, this round expanded delivery through tailored one-to-one advice, interactive workshops, and capital funding to drive improvements in nutrient management.

This year, continues to scale up delivery by combining individual farm visits with group workshops, leveraging specialist networks and insights from earlier phases as well as providing further capital support to enable farmers to continue implementing improvements, including on-farm slurry testing and nutrition assessments.

As phosphorus remains a complex but critical issue, the Triple Axe approach demonstrates how collaborative, tailored farm support can drive meaningful change from the ground up.