2. What support is the Welsh Government offering to farmers who are likely to be affected by the Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations 2021? OQ56386

Thank you. A range of support will be provided, including guidance, nutrient management planning and record-keeping templates, Farming Connect services and a dedicated helpline, operated by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. This is in addition to the £44.5 million of capital funding that has so far been committed through the rural development programme to support farmers in Wales.

As you know, and as I said in the debate last week, Minister, I've had conversations with the National Farmers Union, with the Farmers Union of Wales, and with farmers in my constituency, and there are, undoubtedly, regardless of merits of the regulations, concerns that they have—very deep concerns that they have—about the impact, and particularly in those small farms. And I raised in my speech last week the issue of a farm, for example, with 75 dairy cows, who would then have to build technology to contain slurry that might not otherwise have been used. I did have some reassurance from the Welsh Government, and I was hoping you'd put it on the record in your speech last week, but perhaps now is the opportunity. What reassurance can you give to those farmers with regard to nutrient management plans? What reassurance can you give to those farmers who are concerned about having to bring in consultants to deal with complex forms? And with all that in mind, how will the Welsh Government wish to—and obviously there's an election coming up—review the regulations in the period in which they are phased in? How are you going to introduce that review and ensure that those farmers, like the small ones in my constituency, are not unduly affected?

Thank you. As I say, in addition to Farming Connect services, we've got a dedicated helpline now operated by ADAS, and significant capital funding. So, this is all done and there to support farmers. We will be issuing guidance documents shortly, and that will take farmers step by step through the requirements of the regulations. And I think, once people have access to that guidance, hopefully that will reassure them and certainly allay many of the concerns that you referred to. 

There will be simple templates that can be used for nutrient management planning. I think the difference between existing slurry storage requirements and the new requirements, for most people, will be minimal. So, there are a number of actions you can take to reduce the rainfall that goes into the stores. That again may help address storage shortfalls. And many of these schemes have already been supported by Welsh Government over the past couple of years, through grant schemes, such as the sustainable production, and obviously our farm business grant schemes too. 

The closed periods do not apply to manure with low readily available nitrogen, and that includes farmyard manure, which, again, is much more common in smaller farms, such as the one you referred to, and the regulations also allow farmyard manure to be stored in field heaps. 

I've mentioned in the couple of debates that we've had in the Chamber that there will, obviously, be a transitional period and financial support will increase there. As a result of introducing these new regulations with those transitional periods, I'll be able to support farmers to achieve compliance with the new standards, whereas previously I could only support investment above to the regulatory requirement, and the ability to do that will go on until July 2025. There is a review of the regulations in four years. It was really important, I thought, we had that in. But, obviously, as we go through the next four years up until 2025, the monitoring will be undertaken. 

The truth is, of course, that the amount set aside by the Welsh Government to implement these measures has been identified by farmers, farmers unions and the whole of the farming industry as totally inadequate. Now, whilst I have great respect for the AM for Caerphilly, his reason for not voting against the Government last Wednesday does not cut ice when he says there are two large polluters in his constituency—he lays bare the Minister's arguments for punishing the whole industry. Intervention should have been targeted. So, Minister, why did you go against all the agricultural sector's advice and implement such a potentially disastrous blanket strategy?

Well, the truth is, David Rowlands, that, as I say, there's £44.5 million of capital already been assigned to this, plus further funding for the next financial year, which obviously we can only do on a one-year basis because the Welsh Government only has a one-year budget from the UK Government. But I've always made it very clear that support would be available to the farming sector in relation to these. 

What you don't seem to understand is the regulations are targeted. We can't do it on specific areas because the number of agricultural pollution incidents we're seeing are all over Wales. But the regulations will be targeted, and the majority of farms are already coming up to that baseline requirement. This is about having that baseline requirement to improve and reduce the number of incidents, which I'm sure you will agree are an embarrassment to the agricultural sector.