5. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on action taken to address pollution in Welsh rivers? OAQ53073

The river basin management plans, published in 2015, show that water quality across Wales has improved significantly over recent years, with 37 per cent of the water bodies in Wales now meeting good status under the water framework directive. Work is under way to increase this to 42 per cent in the next three years.

As you will be aware, the fishing association have referred a complaint to the EU Commission that argues that huge quantities of slurry and poultry manure are being spread indiscriminately on large areas of farm land, and that the rules and guidelines governing how this should be done are consistently being broken. This is, of course, having a substantial impact on the ecology of our rivers. Will you give us your assurance that all is being done to monitor this practice, and thus ensure the integrity of our rivers?

I thank the Member for his question and his interest in this area. He raises a very important issue. Any incident of pollution in our rivers is one incident too many, for a variety of reasons, which is why this Government has taken action in terms of how we tackle agricultural pollution. We know that the vast majority of people adhere to best practice, and it's the minority that create these incidents that we are taking action to combat. Just this week, my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs—I forgot her title for a moment then—announced further investment for the sustainable production grant, which is to support the delivery of environmental outcomes, including on agricultural pollution, and provide support for farmers facing the considerable challenges of Brexit. So, that's just one step. 

We're also working with—. Of course, pollution doesn't just refer to slurry. It could be litter and other contamination in our rivers, and that's why we work with organisations such as Keep Wales Tidy and Groundwork Wales to tackle that as well. 

In October, we corresponded about a pollution incident in the Afon Clywedog Dee tributary near Wrexham. Of course, specific pollution incidents are a matter for Natural Resources Wales. How do you respond to concern that the self-reporting procedure with water companies, now applied by Natural Resources Wales, takes away the proactive inspections that used to be in place and carried out by Environment Agency Wales staff, and to concern that the current redeployment of skilled fisheries enforcement officers will reduce the effectiveness of fisheries protection across the three regions of south-east, south-west and northern areas, including the upper Severn, and, particularly, on the cross-border working on both sides of the River Severn, and with the Wye and its tributaries, crossing again the England-Wales border? 

Can I thank the Member for his question and for his earlier correspondence again on this important issue? In terms of tackling this, and making sure we reduce and prevent the impact of any pollution of any kind or any instance within our river basins across Wales, wherever that may be, it's important that we work in partnership with stakeholders, with Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy and with Natural Resources Wales. And this, of course, is something that I'm happy to monitor very closely, going forward, to ensure that we get the outcomes that we need.