710+
farms currently using YAGRO Exchange
+56,000 ha
of arable and mixed farming land represented
Connecting
data layers
farm activity and independent environmental evidence
Water-quality evidence needs more than spot sampling
Verifying nutrient pollution risk across an agricultural supply chain requires more than occasional water sampling or self-reported activity. It requires a reliable connection between what is happening at field level, the environmental conditions surrounding those activities, and the signals subsequently observed in nearby watercourses.
YAGRO’s approach creates that connection through complementary data layers.
01
What happened on farm
Consented application records, dates, rates and methods.
02
What conditions surrounded it
Rainfall, hydrology, soils, slope and watercourse connectivity.
03
What appeared in the catchment
Downstream monitoring readings and shared catchment signals.
MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES
River and water network layer
Yagro Sourced Primary Farm Level Data
ONE COMPLETE PICTURE
All layers combined to reveal the full catchment context.
Extending the model to livestock
For cattle enterprises, the Livestock Information Service provides a potential route to individual animal movement records, subject to grower consent. There is currently no equivalent open API for pigs and poultry. Location and movement information would therefore be collected through YAGRO Exchange.
Turning connected data into an evidence chain
By combining farm activity data from Exchange with independent environmental observations, YAGRO can build a traceable chain between agricultural activity, environmental conditions and catchment-level water-quality signals.
Event correlation
Connect fertiliser application events with subsequent readings from relevant downstream monitoring stations.
Nutrient-risk indicators
Calculate catchment-level indicators by parish, region or supply-chain group.
Runoff-risk modelling
Assess risk using rainfall, field slope, soil type, permeability and watercourse proximity.
Auditable reporting
Produce clear evidence chains suitable for supply-chain assurance, programme reporting and regulatory engagement.
The objective is responsible correlation and risk assessment, not unsupported attribution to an individual farm.
Designed around the evidence that is genuinely available
England and Wales
The approach is currently strongest where Environment Agency and DEFRA data routes have been tested and are operational.
Scotland
SEPA water-quality APIs remain less developed for this use case. A phased programme beginning with England and Wales is recommended.
Monitoring density
Where evidence is not sufficiently granular, results are interpreted at catchment or participating-group level, not attributed to an individual holding.
Transparent limitations create more credible evidence, not less.
YAGRO brings together permissioned farm activity, independent environmental data and structured analysis to create a more complete picture of nutrient risk across agricultural supply chains. The technology, grower workflows and data infrastructure already exist. The next step is to apply them to a focused water-quality programme with Sainsbury’s.
