The Welsh Assembly Government must make far greater use of the flexibility available to them already rather than charge both small domestic farmhouse and Welsh farm businesses substantial sums of money for their private water supplies, according to farming union NFU Cymru.
Commenting on the Welsh Assembly Governments proposal to charge for private water supplies on Welsh farms and domestic premises, Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President said, "NFU Cymru is very concerned about these proposals. We question the real need for these proposals in the first place and completely oppose the potential costs of the new requirements estimated to be £125 per year for small domestic premises and up to £435 per year for commercial activities."
NFU Cymru wants the Welsh Assembly Government to recognise the benefits already being delivered through existing controls, such as the Food Hygiene Regulations 2006, which are requirements that are already in place to ensure clean and safe water supplies.
Mr Davies said, "Given that the Food Hygiene Regulations require potable water to be used and cover establishments such as bed and breakfast accommodation as well as other food preparation units, we do wonder why the Welsh Assembly Government has decided to implement these new regulations without acknowledging the checks already being delivered through these existing requirements and we question the need for additional, possibly duplicate controls. Similar sampling and checking may also be made for farm assurance scheme purposes and indeed by the private supply users themselves."
To avoid duplication of work NFU Cymru has asked the Welsh Assembly Government to engage further with industry representatives and asses the impact these new rules will have on existing requirements and indeed on the Welsh livestock sector.
Mr Davies ended, "Changes to the status quo is not necessary. There is no evidence to prove that measures already in existence are not effective and adding another tier of legislation with the accompanying costs is totally unnecessary and unjustifiable. In this case Government commitment to reduce the red tape and cost burden on industry appears to have been totally forgotten."