Minister, it is a sad reality that your draconian NVZ measures that you're introducing are now bringing your own Welsh Government's honesty and integrity into question. Indeed, at least eight times you have promised not to do anything whilst we are in the middle of this COVID pandemic. Responding to me in Plenary on 3 February, you claimed that the voluntary scheme you had worked with NFU Cymru to deliver had failed. That simply isn't true. In fact, the blue flag farming approach was not backed by Welsh Government when farmers actually applied for funding through the RDP sustainable management scheme.

Shockingly, it is my understanding that despite project results and water standards being shared in letters to you and the First Minister in March 2020, including recommendations for next steps and a response being issued by officials stating that detailed consideration will be given to the water standard, NFU Cymru have yet to receive a further reply. Despite industry organisations committing to the Wales land management forum sub-group on agricultural pollution and the group submitting a progress report to you with 45 recommendations in April 2018, as of earlier this month you had not responded or even met the expert group. Clearly, you have written off the voluntary approach far before giving it a proper chance.

Earlier this month, the First Minister claimed that we've seen no diminution in the rate of agricultural pollution. That again is not correct. You yourself have acknowledged that there has been progress over the last four years. NRW's executive director for evidence, policy and permitting had spoken of a steady decline in pollution incidents in the last two years, and a clear downward trend of 28 per cent has been observed over the last three years. In trying to justify these regulations, you have referred me to NRW's dairy project. You informed this Parliament that 50 per cent of the dairy farms visited are not compliant. I tabled a written question asking you to clarify what steps officials took to examine reasons for non-compliance. You responded on Monday stating that you will thoroughly analyse the results once the project is complete. I think you know where I'm going with this. You may recall also in committee this month that you told me that, and I quote,

'In relation to the costs around the agricultural pollution, as I said, there is a higher cost if we don't do anything.'

Again, you're wrong. Your own regulatory impact assessment estimates that the upfront capital costs of the NVZ could run to £360 million. That's £347 million more than the assistance you are actually offering, £99 million more than the latest total income from farming in Wales. In fact, according to the RIA, over 20 years, the total cost is over £1 billion to our agricultural sector. Why are you making farmers spend these ridiculous sums of money that they don't have, between now and 2040, for benefits worth £153 million? The costs are £950 million more than the actual value of the benefits. In fact, Griffiths's great big gap between cost and benefit could be even larger, as the explanatory memorandum states, and I quote:

'Due to the large range of potential environment costs associated with these pollutants and the variability of farm types and practices, there can be no certainty of the cost benefit ratio.'

Why do you claim that these regulations are proportionate? Why increase the number of holdings affected by NVZs to over 24,000, when huge swathes of Wales have seen zero incidents during the last decade? Why make a mockery of Brexit and devolution by choosing a European option when we should be looking to work with farmers to develop a voluntary Welsh solution? Why pursue an NVZ when a study by your beloved European Commission found that about half of European monitoring stations on nitrates showed no significant change, and a further 26.6 per cent presented increasing trends of nitrates? Why push Wales into an all-territory NVZ when Denmark and Ireland have applied for derogation?

For the sake of Welsh farming and, indeed, for our farmers and custodians of our countryside, we need to halt the progress of this. Minister, I do hold you in high regard, and I realise it is a large portfolio that has some difficulties. One incident of pollution is one too many. But I will say to you, in all honesty, and in all earnest: it is not above somebody to be able to say, 'I am listening to my farmers, I am listening to the people of Wales, I am listening to my elected Senedd colleagues.' Change your mind on this decision, Minister, and let's change that lack of trust now into respect. Thank you. Diolch.