Farmers left‘high and dry’by new water rules

CONFUSION surrounds the financial support that will be available to help Welsh farmers cope with costly anti-pollution regulations due in January, according to NFU Cymru.

The union claims it has discovered alarming gaps in the Welsh Government’s preparations after submitting an official EIR information request.

Not only can it find no evidence that grants will be available, NFU Cymru doubts the planning system be primed to facilitate the building of new slurry stores.

These will be needed to ensure compliance with the all-Wales Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regime from January 1.

Under the regulations, a key challenge for farmers will be the need to have five months’ storage for cow slurry – and six months for pig and poultry manure.

To comply, a wave of building will be needed across Wales – but NFU Cymru fears that in many cases, neither the money, nor planning consents, will be available.

The situation is further compounded by ongoing Brexit uncertainty, said deputy president Aled Jones.

“The response to our EIR information request suggests that the Welsh Government has made no plans to support the farming sector,” he said.

“This is alarming when you consider the support provided by the Northern Ireland Executive over 10 years ago when a wholeterritory approach to NVZs was adopted there.

“At that time Northern

Irish farmers were supported with an investment package of £140m, available at a grant rate of 60%, to aid investment in infrastructure.”

The Welsh Government has previously said it will be allocating around £16m of RDP cash to help farmers prepare for the new water quality regulations.

This will be available via the existing Sustainable Production Grant scheme.

But NFU Cymru’s request for details of Cardiff’s NVZ-related communications with the Welsh Treasury drew a complete blank.

Neither did the Welsh Government possess any information on its communications with the Planning Directorate.

Mr Jones said it was vital the planning system in Wales was primed to be sympathetic to the slurry storage applications heading its way. Otherwise farmers had little chance of complying with the new regulations.

“Our members are frequently hindered by the planning system from taking forward infrastructure projects,” he said.

“If the planning system does not work farmers will be faced with a choice of operating outside of compliance – or going out of the sector altogether.

“Welsh Government’s continued failure to recognise and address this is highly concerning.”

Cardiff said the regulations wouldn’t be rubberstamped until a Regulatory Impact Assessment had been completed, as requested by NFU Cymru.

This will also dictate arrangements such as financial support.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Action is needed to tackle the damage being done to the environment, our rural communities and the reputation of the farming industry itself. Industry leaders must recognise the scale of this issue and take a responsible approach.”