Implementation of water policies, such as the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), has resulted in a large body of work aimed at understanding and managing catchment diffuse pollution. On this basis, a number of potential priorities can be highlighted for further work. With respect to specific pollutants, priorities include the need to characterise the potential role of groundwater‐surface water interactions and biogeochemical processing in attenuating nitrate issues, the significance of farmyard/track, road and septic tank losses and in‐stream processing for phosphorus abatement strategies and both inorganic and organic sediment sources using a common integrated source apportionment framework. Improved understanding of pollutant pressure‐ecological impact relationships will require wider consideration of the synergistic, additive or antagonistic interplay of multiple stressors. Given the focus on ‘good ecological status’ and environmental objectives, freshwater ecology and the protection of optimal habitat conditions should be central to any catchment diffuse pollution management plan. The need to collect high quality empirical data to help convince stakeholders of the benefits of mitigation strategies remains paramount.