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Opposition unite against Welsh Government to force review of pollution rules for farmers

09 Jun 2021 4 minute read
A farmer spreading slurry. Picture by Graham Horn (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives jointly secured a review of pollution rules for farmers after a tied vote with the governing Labour party.

Some farmers have been concerned they will have to pay large sums to comply with the new Wales-wide nitrate vulnerable zone.

The new rules mean they will have to upgrade slurry facilities, cover them to reduce the amount of rain that can fall in, and face a ban on spreading slurry for some periods between August and January.

An initial vote on holding a review was tied 29-29, and was voted down by deputy presiding officer David Rees. Labour then amended the motion keeping the call for a review, which passed 58-0.

As a result of today’s vote a committee in the Welsh Parliament will now review The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021 and present its recommendations to the Senedd.

Commenting after the vote, Brecon and Radnorshire MS, James Evans said that he had fulfilled an election promise to Brecon and Radnorshire to bring forward a debate on the NVZ regulations.

“Sadly, the Welsh Labour Government’s agricultural policies over the past few years have shown nothing but contempt for farmers and these draconian regulations will have a devastating impact on farms and livelihoods across rural Wales,” he said.

“We need a more flexible, evidence-based policy that secures the support of the industry, and we hope the relevant committee now performs their vital role in ensuring the best legislation possible is put through the Welsh Parliament.

“As we move out of the pandemic, it’s important we now move forward together to ensure our beautiful country not only maintains, but improves our high food and environmental standards, working with farmers not against them.”

‘Part of the solution’

Plaid Cymru Spokesperson for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Cefin Campbell MS said it was a “victory for common sense” and a “a victory for our farmers and unions and it is a victory for our rural communities”.

“We have heard time and again why the regulations as they stand are not acceptable. Not only were they rushed through recklessly by a Minister who promised, ten times no less, that they would not be introduced while Wales was still in a pandemic, they were introduced against the expert recommendation of Natural Resources Wales who said regulations should be introduced in the 8% most at-risk areas rather than on an all-Wales basis.

“Furthermore, the lack of financial support available to help farm businesses cope with the regulations would leave family farms severely affected. How on earth can the minister justify offering £11million in financial support, when the government’s own assessments suggest that the cost to farmers could be between £109million, and £360million?

“Welsh farmers are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Plaid Cymru believe it’s time for the Government to listen to them – and to the experts.

“It is time to look to the future by embracing technology to make far more accurate choices around land management – such as using weather stations on farms to measure soil temperature, leaf moisture, wind direction and rainfall – enabling farmers to make on-field decisions around slurry spreading, pesticide spraying or harvesting. This is far more scientific than farming by calendar, which is both impractical and outdated.

“Now is the time to work together to reach a consensus, and to come to a solution that will protect our environment from pollution and ensure the viability of farmers and communities in rural Wales over the years to come.”


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Smith
Smith
2 years ago

Local family farm to me are selling their herd of 80 cows as the price they receive for milk does not justify the investment required with these new slurry rules.

Sad. Wales won’t become self sustaining in food production.

Mark
Mark
2 years ago

Maybe James Evans MS, can say what he intends to do about the proposed tariff & quota free deal the tories are about to do with Australia or maybe he could explain how the internal markets bill, forced through by the tories, helps farmers in Wales. The tories have a lot to answer for when it comes to the state of farming,

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

The state of our rivers is the evidence.
We know where the excess nitrogen and phosphorus come from.

Dafydd Evans
Dafydd Evans
2 years ago

They gave farmers a chance to find voluntary solutions but offcourse they failed to take action – where were FUW, NFU Wales then – were they actively trying to get their members to be more sustainable? Rivers around here are caked in algal blooms every summer due to agric run off and fish numbers have collapsed to an all time low – we just cant keep on polluting rivers at this rate – this is the 21st Century! Please provide 0% loans to farmers to become more sustainable, to move away from intensive agriculture. Keep them on the land to… Read more »

Tom Parsons
Tom Parsons
2 years ago

No-till farming is the way of the future, but it will take investment. The Welsh Government should be investing in local farmers to do the right thing, not punishing them.

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