NFU Cymru criticise consultation on proposed changes to slurry regulations
NFU Cymru has criticised the Welsh Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) regulations on farm businesses across Wales.
The Welsh Government consultation sought views on whether changes to SSAFO regulations would be beneficial for the practical and efficient use and management of slurry and silage.
Proposals
include
introducing nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) storage calculation methods into SSAFO together with new rules on the temporary storage of manure.
Views are also sought on an appropriate assessment regime for exempt (pre-1991) structures, together with the inclusion of silo and slurry store construction standards within the cross compliance regime.
NFU Cymru Rural Affairs Board chairman Bernard Llewellyn said: “NFU Cymru has long argued that measures to improve water quality must be based on robust evidence. Welsh Government, throughout the consultation, presented no evidence of the case for change, nor has it demonstrated that the changes proposed will deliver the desired environmental benefits.
“Proposals to include NVZ storage calculations within SSAFO regulations, for instance, are completely unjustified and seek to impose NVZ level requirements, which are intro- duced in specific areas to address elevated nitrate concentrations, across all of Wales.”
He added: “Welsh Government has also failed to make any assessment of the impact that the proposed changes will have on individual farm businesses when it is clear that the investment costs associated with achieving compliance will run into tens of thousands of pounds.
“Proposals should be considered in the context of pressures on farm incomes following an extremely challenging period. We are most concerned that proposals will impact significantly on dairy and beef production in Wales.
“These proposals will add significantly to the regulatory burden on farmers across Wales and we are clear that a non-regulatory and advice-led approach delivered via mechanisms such as the Rural Development Programme for Wales would deliver far better environmental outcomes.”