During a recent Water Quality Summit, organised by Welsh Government, the union’s President reiterated his calls for urgent changes to the unworkable Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations to alleviate regulatory burden for exasperated farmers.
This week, following the Summit, Welsh Government has released a written statement on the Review of the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations. In this statement there is no indication that the regulatory burden will be alleviated for farmers, even with the complications brought on by the prolonged dry weather this year.
The current regulations were raised during an NFU Cymru Council meeting, the union’s ruling body, on Wednesday, as a matter of real concern for farmers right across Wales.
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said: “NFU Cymru is clear that Welsh Government’s four-yearly review, completed in March, was a missed opportunity to deliver the changes that are urgently needed to the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations and failed to reflect the sheer desperation of farmers in Wales grappling with the impracticality and complexity of the rules.
Staggering costs
“Farming families are facing staggering costs and an unworkable regulatory burden that is challenging farm business viability and impacting on the health and well-being of farmers and their families. Farmers are exasperated that far from reducing the regulatory burden placed on them by the regulations, Welsh Government wants to add additional regulations, including for soils, nutrient management planning and air quality.
“The prolonged dry weather of 2025 has resulted in many farmers needing to take late cuts of silage for their livestock for the forthcoming winter, leaving them unable to empty their slurry stores before the start of the closed period on 15th October. This, yet again, highlights why an inflexible farming by calendar approach to regulation does not work. NFU Cymru is deeply disappointed that our requests for flexibility have fallen on deaf ears.
Full independent review of cumulative burden of regulations
“NFU Cymru awaits further information on the ‘collaborative approach’ and the Task & Finish Group, proposed by Welsh Government in its written statement, with interest. We will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our members to ensure the most challenging and difficult aspects of the regulations are addressed so they are proportionate and targeted.
“We remain clear, for many farmers, the onerous regulatory burden is intolerable. We will continue to highlight to Welsh Government the damaging impacts imposed by the current regulatory approach and the need for a full independent review of the cumulative burden of regulations on Welsh farming families.”
