Welsh farming union NFU Cymru has urged farmers to get involved with the Welsh Government consultation on Taking Forward Wales’ Sustainable Management of Natural Resources.
The Welsh Government consultation, launched last week, is seeking views on a broad range of proposals that are highly relevant and which could have serious implications for farm businesses across Wales.
Proposals include enabling cycling and horse riding on footpaths; extending Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW Access) land to rivers and other inland waters; as well as revoking the list of restrictions on CRoW Access land to allow organised games, camping, hang-gliding or para-gliding.
NFU Cymru has labelled the proposals as 'costly regulation'.
Other proposals include the introduction of basic measures for agriculture for the protection of water, air and soil quality.
Basic measures are a regulatory approach that set minimum standards for undertaking specified activities and include provision to penalise those found to be in breach.
'Highly relevant'
NFU Cymru Rural Affairs Board Chair, Hedd Pugh, said: “From the title of the consultation, its significance would not be immediately apparent.
“However, from closer examination of Welsh Government proposals it is clear that the content is highly relevant to our sector and will be deeply worrying for our members.
“In our view, many of the chapters merit separate consultation in their own right and it is disappointing that Welsh Government has opted to bundle them together in this way.
“NFU Cymru is keen to ensure that farmers are aware of proposals that could have profound implications on the day-to-day running of their farm businesses.
“We will be consulting our members and formulating a consultation response in the usual way and would urge farmers to become involved in the consultation process and also to raise their concerns with their elected representatives to ensure their voice is heard.”
Concluding, Mr Pugh said: “Overall NFU Cymru is very disappointed that Welsh Government seems fixed on achieving the objective of the sustainable management of natural resources via costly regulation of farm businesses.”
The Welsh Government consultation closes on 13 September 2017.
