Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I start by saying that I cannot support any of the amendments tabled to this motion, firstly because each one is prefaced by that asinine proposition, 'Delete all', meaning of course that they would delete all of my submissions—a patently absurd stance? But also because none of the substitutions address the main thrust of my argument, which is the environmental impact of destocking the uplands. All amendments tabled deal exclusively with the economics of the uplands.

My debate calls upon the Welsh Government to put the woolly maggots back on our mountains. Following the decision, largely under the auspices of Elliot Morley and the now Baroness Barbara Young, to instigate a policy of removing grazing animals—sheep were referred to as 'woolly maggots'—from our hills, commonly known as wilding, we're witnessing the devastation of our upland environment and a catastrophic effect on the wildlife on our uplands. We therefore call upon the Welsh Government to remove any incentives to farmers to take their animals from the hills and put in place measures to reverse this ill-thought-out policy and thus take immediate steps to repopulate these areas.

There is a significant body of evidence that proves that this de-populating of our hillsides is having a hugely detrimental effect on wildlife species and the general environment of our mountains. The removal of livestock has been followed by the spread of pernicious bracken growth and the increased height of ungrazed heather, to the point that heather no longer affords good habitat for nesting birds whilst bracken affords little or no suitable habitat for any of our wildlife species. If we add to this the further effect of uncontrolled grass growth, we're seeing a combination of factors that are having a substantial impact on the number and the variety of species that inhabit our hillsides. The highly toxic drain-off from bracken roots is also known to have a detrimental effect on the ecology of our streams and rivers.

One further consequence of the overgrown nature of our hillsides is the propensity it affords for the spread of wildfires. Tall, often dry grasses and overgrown heather and gorse are some of the most combustible forms of vegetation. The consequence of this is that we are now witnessing a considerable rise in these devastating events. For many hundreds of years, farmers used controlled burning to manage species growth as well as creating fire breaks. We have all seen the devastating effect uncontrolled fires have and are having on our mountain habitat. Unless we have a radical rethink about upland management, then we can expect the frequency and extent of these fires to escalate. 

Due again, primarily, to a lack of grazing stock, we're witnessing an unprecedented explosion of tick species on our hills. Long grass is ideal habitat for ticks. This has resulted in a growing number of cases of Lyme disease, especially amongst the hill-walking fraternity and their pets. Lyme disease can have disastrous, debilitating effects on its victims and as there is limited knowledge of the disease amongst general practitioners—and, David, I make no particular comment as far as that's concerned—it can go undiagnosed for long periods, making its effects even more devastating. The long-term effect of this is that tourism will suffer as ramblers, et cetera, become less and less willing to expose themselves to the health risks involved with tick infestation. It is reported that in France, last year, some 60,000 people were affected by tick bites.

Last but not least, we have to acknowledge the economic effect of taking highly valuable stock off our hills. Wales, of course, has a very large number of upland areas. Consequently, the loss of revenue from hill stock is considerable. Although farmers may be individually compensated, though only in the short term of course, the country as a whole is financially disadvantaged. Hill stock contributed substantially to the Welsh agrarian economy.

There are many examples of how the so-called re-wilding of upland habitat has had a disastrous effect. English Nature and now Natural England's policy of destocking Dartmoor is proving to have a hugely negative environmental impact, with many of these consequences outlined above manifesting themselves, with disastrous results. Dartmoor commoners are now witnessing the appalling consequences of the policy of destocking carried out over the last 20 to 25 years.

Closer to home, Geraint Davies, a well-known and well-respected figure in the Welsh farming industry, who runs a large upland farm near Bala, where he and his wife have been engaged in restoring areas of the farm to make it wildlife friendly, is firmly of the opinion that the removal of stock from our hills is having a very detrimental effect on wildlife. It was Geraint who pointed out to me the possible loss to the tourist industry as hillwalkers are finding it more and more difficult to negotiate upland areas due to grass and bracken coverage.

A well-acknowledged expert in the field of upland habitat is Geoff Eyre, whose restoration work on 6,000 acres at Howden moor in the Peak district between 1989 and 2006, which consisted of spraying, managed burning, reseeding of heather and palatable grasses, together with bracken removal and a tenfold commercially viable increase in cattle and sheep, resulted in wildlife returning in quite extraordinary numbers, proving conclusively that destocking uplands is totally counter-productive in sustaining or increasing wildlife in our upland areas. Geoff has managed and restored some 40,000 hectares of upland habitat.

So, given the evidence above, there can be no plausible argument for continuing with current policy. So, I again call upon the Welsh Government to reverse its policy with regard to upland subsidies and put those woolly maggots, together with their larger bovine friends, back on our Welsh hills.