Water Quality

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 27 September 2022.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 2:04, 27 September 2022

In 2015, the UK environment Secretary, Liz Truss, boasted of cutting 34,000 farm inspections. It effectively allowed farmers in England to dump waste like pesticide and animal faeces directly into rivers, including the Wye valley, where research by Lancaster University found there were 3,000 tonnes of excess phosphorus, caused by agriculture, seeping into the valley's waterways. Do you agree with me, First Minister, that this gross negligence and its legacy of pollution that lapped at our shores this summer underlines why the Welsh Government was absolutely right to take an all-Wales approach to legislate against agricultural pollution? And are you able to update us on how the £40 million that your Government is investing over the next three years to tackle this issue will be targeted?