A new list of targets for "catchment-sensitive farming", published by the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) this week, includes the Esk valley, running out at Whitby, plus coastal streams running out between Whitby and Staithes and the Ribble, which takes drainage from both sides of the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, above Settle, before heading west.

The 10 new priority zones for action are added to 40 already existing, including one covering the River Hull catchment in Holderness, East Yorkshire, and a similar area on the other side of the Humber; another taking in the lowland sections of the rivers Ouse, Nidd and Swale; and a third centred on the Yorkshire Derwent.

Some of the existing priority zones have been extended, including one called Peak District Dales, taking in the fells south of Sheffield.

Defra is also trying to stretch its budget for the scheme by persuading other agencies to take on localised problems including Semerwater in Wensleydale, near Hawes – a lake allegedly made virtually dead by run-off from surrounding pastures.

The sensitive catchment zones are additional to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) and may or may not cross over with them. They are identified by Natural England and the Environment Agency as contributing to "diffuse pollution", meaning a range of contaminants from a range of sources.

Unlike NVZ compliance, catchment-sensitive farming is voluntary. It simply means taking advice and acting on it as far as possible. In some cases, grants are available for projects such as roofing over cattle feeding areas to reduce slurry run-off; building leak-proof sheep-dip runs, or repairing broken hard-standing.

The England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative (ECSFDI), has been running since 2006.

Laurie Norris, environmental law specialist at regional National Farmers' Union headquarters in York, said: "We said from the start that taking advice in this matter had to be entirely voluntary, or nobody would come forward.

"There is not very much grant money and it is not easy to get, but we encourage farmers to have a go. They have nothing to lose and learning about nutrient control might save them some money"

However, the Defra announcement included a warning that the Government might legislate to control diffuse pollution if voluntary effort does not work.

Jane Kennedy, the new Defra minister in charge of farming matters, said: "Taking care of our waterways through responsible farming practices is vital for the future of a sustainable, healthy farming industry."

Defra said it would spend nearly £13m on the ECSFDI over 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. That includes £5m for capital grants. The rest will be spent on farm visits and other promotions for voluntary effort.

Ed Dennison, a former North Yorkshire NFU chairman who runs a dairy herd at Thornton-le-Beans, near Northallerton, where the Wiske heads for the Swale, got a grant from the scheme last year, when not many farmers were aware of it, but was turned down for one this year.

He said: "It's 25 per cent of your costs, with a ceiling of £10,000, so we got £10,000 towards a £40,000 building covering an animal collection area. We might have done it anyway but the grant was the final push."

He dealt with Jonathan Skidmore at the Natural England offices in Northallerton: 01609 767418. A Defra briefing on the ECSFDI, including maps, should be available at defra.gov.uk/farm/
environment/water/csf

The national advice line is 08459 335577. The 2008-2009 grants are all allocated, but allocations for 2009-2010 opens for applications early next year.