Tim and Geli Harris, Norfolk farmers who own 460 acres that include much of Catfield Fen, won a third legal victory this month after Lady Justice Lieven found Natural England breached its statutory duty by failing to stop nitrates and phosphates polluting the calcareous fen. The judge said the pollution source was obvious and criticised Natural England’s inaction after the Harrises first reported contamination in 2021. Catfield Fen is part of a special area of conservation in the Broads national park and supports about 2,500 species, including the fen orchid, crested buckler fern, breeding bittern and swallowtail butterflies. The Harrises say they have spent 15 years and £1.5m of their own money pursuing legal action to protect the site. They converted former arable fields to pasture and now run English white park cattle, sheep and Eriskay ponies to reduce runoff into the fen. The ruling requires the conservation watchdog to take steps to halt pollution at Catfield Fen and strengthens the couple’s wider campaign against what they call regulatory inertia on waterways across the country.
