Yes, thank you, Peter. So, our river basin management plans, our river catchment management plans are the main mechanism that we use to improve water quality. We implement the plans—I know that you know this already—on a catchment partnership and cross-sectoral co-operation between a wide variety of stakeholders, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, farmers, angling bodies, universities, the energy companies, utility companies and local action groups, and there's one, obviously, on the Usk and the Wye.

We use what's called an integrated catchment based methodology, which is promoted by the water framework directive, which is still in force, and which I besiege the Conservative Government not to think of repealing any time soon. So, if you have any influence there, please do use it. The catchment based methodology, which is promoted by the water framework directive, is really showing positive results and a gradual improvement in water quality, which is evidenced by the latest classification results. So, 40 per cent of Wales's water bodies are classed as 'good' or 'better' at present; 44 per cent of Wales's rivers are achieving a 'good' status; and the 2020-21 data shows an 8 per cent improvement in water quality since the first classification released in 2009. And I use those figures advisedly, because I do think that we have to be careful not to have a counsel of despair here as well. So, talking to some young people earlier today, it is important to understand that these things work; we have got evidence that this improves the way that these things work, and therefore, if we all pull together and actually do these things, we will get that improvement. Otherwise, I just think people start throwing their hands up and think, 'What does it matter?' So, I do think that's very, very important.

You've absolutely identified that there are various threats. So, we know that, in Wales, we've got the agricultural sector; we've got mining and quarrying, including pollution from abandoned metal mines, which is a significant issue in parts of Wales; we've got the transport sector; we've got urban pollution; and we've got water industry discharges. We've a whole plethora of things. So, we've got to get an integrated cross-sectoral approach. So, improving water quality is an absolute priority for this Government. We've made provisions for a multi-year, multimillion pound programme of works to improve water quality—over £40 million over the next three years, for example, just on remediating pollution from the disused metal mines.

So, just turning immediately, then, to the chicken point that you raised, NRW has carried out some modelling of phosphates in special areas of conservation river catchments for the management of waste water. This is a draft at the moment, but just to let you know that we can calculate loads from rural land use, which includes agriculture and in particular chickens, and I think it tells its own story. I just emphasise that this is draft, but the Wye at 72 per cent, the Usk at 67 per cent, the Dee at 24 per cent, and the Teifi at 28 per cent. So, that tells you something, doesn't it, about the Usk and the Wye and what's happening there. So, we will be using these to look at what we need to do to control that and to help the farmers there actually do something about what's happening with those chicken units, because, let's be clear, they're producing a product that people want. So, we need to be able to do that in a sustainable way and in a way that allows us not to pollute our rivers right beside it, but allows those farmers to produce the products that people want.

And the other thing is to just guard against unintended consequences. So, we have some planning regulations, I'm sure you know, in Wales, which mean that you have to have planning consent for over 40,000 birds. So, everybody has 39,999, with the result that you have a plethora of smaller units, which actually is harder to manage. So, we have to be really careful that when we think of solutions that we think might work, we don't put something in place that actually makes it worse. So, there are a number of things that we will need to look at. But I can't emphasise enough that we need to do this with our landowners and with our farmers, but 'something' is what needs to be done. The idea that we just say, 'It's not their fault, it's the water companies', or all the other things we've discussed here, is not a runner. Every sector needs to look to itself and to look to see what that sector can do to improve this, or our rivers will die, and none of us want that.