POLLUTION LEGAL CHALLENGE

NFU Cymru is finalising preparations for its legal challenge against “damaging” rules to control agricultural pollution.

The union said the new water quality regulations, which came into force in Wales on April 1, pose a “significant threat” to the economic viability of Welsh farming.

The Welsh Government introduced the all-Wales regime to counter “unacceptable” levels of pollution in streams and rivers originating from farmland.

But NFU Cymru will argue the regulations are disproportionate and will “punish” the whole farming sector in Wales rather than targeting individual offenders.

The union accepts the need for some kind of regulatory backstop to ensure agripollution is tackled. This, it said, must take into account existing rules and it must be evidence based, proportionate and targeted.

NFU Cymru president John Davies insisted Welsh farming was determined to look after the environment.

But he added: “We have put forward to Welsh Government farmer-led voluntary initiatives, which have worked in the past, and yet Welsh Government has failed to take into account any relevant information and feedback from stakeholders. An all-Wales NVZ designation is indiscriminate and punitive.

“It will affect every sector; every area of Wales and every farmer will be subject to draconian record-keeping and complex restrictions on the running of their businesses for environmental benefits that appear to be quite small.”