Farmers need help and enforcement

FOLLOWING continuing pollution of Welsh rivers from farming, including serious slurry spills on the Teifi and Aeron in our area, I read with interest this week that the Welsh Government, through Farming Connect, is offering farmers “advice” on “how to tackle pollution from agriculture head-on”.

I quote from an email sent to farmers: “Farming Connect is coordinating an industry-led initiative in Wales in order to ensure Clean Water in our rivers.” This initiative appears to consist of advice only, no doubt advice given by expensive consultants in the pay of the public purse. What farmers really need is not “advice” (there’s plenty of that on google), they need “help” and enforcement. Financial help to upgrade ailing farm infrastructure – muck and slurry stores, tracks etc so pollution risk can be managed and enforcement action where pollution is occurring.

I suspect that in this day and age 99% of farmers know that it is illegal to pollute water courses with muck, slurry and silage effluent yet the irresponsible few continue to do so, some by failing to invest in adequate farm infrastructure and others because they don’t give a damn. “Advice” is not going to touch them.

During my recent marathon training I did quite a few miles round country lanes and it wasn’t hard to spot sources of pollution – slurry and silage effluent running onto the road, cow muck washing off tracks into water courses and soil erosion from out-wintered cattle, not to mention burning black plastic. In my humble opinion if the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales are serious about cleaning up our rivers they should get out of the office more and stop contracting out their responsibilities to third party consultants. Jack Cockburn Farm Manager Lampeter, Ceredigion