2. Will the Minister make a statement on the work of the Town and Country Planning Intensive Agriculture Working Group? OQ55488

Thank you, Russell George. The group is examining how local planning authorities can plan for new agricultural developments like poultry sheds. It will advise on issues to be considered by development plan policies and the material considerations involved in determining the planning applications. Work has been delayed by the pandemic response but will be recommencing shortly.

Thank you for your answer, Minister. In my view, we are in urgent need of updated guidance in the form a technical advice note, simply to support local authorities in assessing planning applications for intensive poultry units or chicken sheds or IPUs—they've got different names. That's certainly the case in Powys, where I hope you will be aware there's been a significant increase in builds taking place—I was pleased that another Member raised this earlier with your colleague Lesley Griffiths. We do need that updated guidance because there's a very real concern over the effects of high phosphate levels from IPUs, issues around air pollution, water pollution and manure management plans. Now, you did write to me last week and, as you say, it seems to be that there won't be much action before early next year, but that, I would say, Minister, is disappointing. I suggest we do need more urgent action. What assurances can you give me, with timescales, on when we will see the necessary guidance in place?

Russell, I share your concern, and we are working—. It's really disappointing that the group, which was due to hold its fourth meeting in March, just before the lockdown, was not then able to go ahead. They are now going ahead, so obviously we want them to do their work as fast as possible; we want to get all the right information in place. At the moment, where planning permission is required for new poultry sheds, they do have to consider the economic benefits and the environmental impacts of the proposal, including the cumulative effect of the increasing number of developments. So, some of the things you mentioned are already in place, but I am absolutely aware that we need to look again at the issues around pollution of the water courses and so on. I'll be working with my colleague Lesley Griffiths on getting the balance right between farm diversification policies and environmental protection, which are the two competing aspects here. So, that's exactly what the group is looking at, with a view to then us reviewing planning policy in the light of their findings, and I assure you we have encouraged them to go as fast as possible.