The paper outlines a programme of research funded under the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme. The proposed research will examine the likely effects of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in terms of both its impacts upon the farming sector and the non-market benefits it may generate....

Implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) represents a fundamental change in the management of water in Europe with a requirement that member states ensure 'good ecological status' for all water bodies by 2015. Agriculture is expected to bear a major share of WFD implementation costs...