Thank you very much for writing to me about Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) and Bovine TB.
I would like to assure you that my colleagues and I in the Welsh Conservatives are of the opinion that one environmental pollution incident is one too many. However, we are not confident that designating the whole of Wales as a single Nitrate Vulnerable Zone is the right way forward, or that it is a balanced way of ensuring our rivers and groundwater are free from pollution.
The Welsh Labour-led Government claims that the new proposals are proportionate to the risks, yet Natural Resources Wales’ own Executive Director for Evidence, Policy and Permitting has spoken about a steady decline in pollution incidents in the last two years, and many areas of Wales have had no agricultural incidents to water since 2010. Therefore, it is surprising that the Welsh Labour-led Government continues to pursue Wales-wide measures.
Welsh Conservatives have also raised concerns about the introduction of these Regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore of disappointment that the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths MS, has decided to table the Regulations, despite claiming she would not introduce them until after the pandemic was over – no less than seven times. My colleague, the Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, has repeatedly raised concerns about the Regulations before the Welsh Parliament.
Unfortunately, Plaid Cymru have dropped their opposition to NVZs. In their Senedd manifesto last year, Plaid said “we will work with the industry, Natural Resources Wales and other stakeholders to repeal Labour’s NVZs.” Now, they’ve jumped into bed with Welsh Labour and ditched their opposition to NVZs - only the Welsh Conservatives will oppose NVZs and stand up for rural Wales.
Instead, Welsh Conservatives believe that a measured, evidence-based and targeted approach to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones must be developed in consultation with our farmers. This, we feel, will ensure that Wales has a balanced plan towards combating and preventing agricultural pollution.
Regarding Bovine TB, Welsh Conservatives are determined to work with stakeholders including farmers to develop a TB eradication strategy that works for the industry and our wildlife. TB is a disease that has seen hundreds of thousand cattle slaughtered and negatively impacted the mental health of farmers.
Currently cattle found to be infected through non-authorised tests do not qualify for the Welsh Government’s bovine-TB compensation package. Under Welsh Conservative plans, this would change and a greater number of government-endorsed tests would be permitted.
Welsh Conservatives are disappointed in the Welsh Government’s TB eradication strategy, and their attitude towards farmers. Last year, the First Minister faced criticism from the farming industry after he laid the blame for increasing infections on farmers for “buying infected cattle and bringing them into the area” despite the law stating that Welsh farmers cannot buy in any cattle unless they have been premovement tested. Unlike Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives are proud to stand up for rural Wales and stand in opposition to misguided policies on NVZs and Bovine TB.