Do you have a good knowledge of agriculture or other regulation in England and want to improve our natural environment? Would you like to be at the forefront of agricultural change? This is an exciting opportunity as we are an officers in Thames Area to undertake regulatory inspections of farms.
Agricultural practices can cause significant and chronic pollution to our precious water environment. These can be caused by leaks of slurry and silage effluent, and other materials, stored and spread on farms.
We are looking for dynamic individuals, including graduates, ideally with experience and understanding of agriculture or other regulatory activity, to work with farmers to increase their levels of compliance with existing environmental regulations. This will help safeguard and improve the future environment.
In this role you will:
• carry out targeted farm visits
• engage with farmers to influence them to change their practice, which may involve difficult conversations
• collect and report on data and findings
• be willing to undertake regulatory enforcement action when needed, prosecutions and the serving of notices
Many are transferrable skills and training will be provided.
The team
As a member of the Thames Land and Water team, you will carry out targeted farm inspections to help improve farmer behaviours with respect to their local environment. You will be part of an operational team that is integral to delivering real environmental improvements.
The Environment Agency works to create better places for people and wildlife and support sustainable development.
Experience/skills required
The following skills are desirable:
• experience of working with farmers, on farms, the agriculture sector or other regulation
• an understanding of the complexities and challenges of working UK farms
• excellent communication and influencing skills
• an ability to have challenging conversations
You must have:
• a full UK driving licence
• IT skills (e.g. Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel), be comfortable using an iPad and a laptop on a daily basis, and be able to input inspection findings into systems.
We welcome applications for part-time hours to support flexible working. However, where required, this role will involve a 2-month (virtual) training period following appointment during which successful applicants will be required to work full-time hours.