NVZ de-designation victory for Monmouthshire farmers

NFU Cymru has welcomed the recent Welsh Assembly Government announcement, confirming the de-designation of the Great Springs Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) in Monmouthshire.

The NVZ, originally designated in 2002, caused a great deal of concern for more than 70 farmers in the area, many of whom are tenant farmers on Monmouthshire County Council holdings. If the designation had been enforced, the resulting bill for farmers collectively would have run into millions of pounds, as the slurry storage systems in current use would have become redundant.

The announcement comes after months of work by NFU Cymru and Monmouthshire County Council following a meeting held earlier this year where Environment Agency officials outlined the increased levels of bureaucracy involved with the designation of the NVZ in the area.

Members raised their concerns regarding the viability of their holdings, as the reduction in stocking densities would have resulted in far lower stocking levels which combined with the additional storage capacity requirements would have put many farmers out of business.

Alan Williams, NFU Cymru Monmouthshire County Chairman said, "NFU Cymru lobbied hard for the de-designation of the entire Great Springs NVZ, arguing that it was unreasonable to ask farmers and landlords to comply with the regulations when the nitrate readings showed results well below the NVZ designation threshold."

Research carried out by NFU Cymru showed readings from Environment Agency sampling points averaged 28mg/l between 2000 – 2004, with more recent data showing even lower readings, well below the 50mg/l designation threshold.

Rebecca Cosgrove, Monmouthshire County Council Principal Valuer, said, "Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) are delighted to have succeeded in their appeal in demonstrating that the local authorities farm portfolio drains into waters that should not have been designated as being polluted.

"The fact that the MCC portfolio is no longer treated for the purposes of the 2008 regulations as being in a nitrate vulnerable zone is a huge success for the Authority and has saved MCC alone, costs in the region of £550,000. These cost savings come at a time when we, like all other Local Authorities, are experiencing budgetary constraints and this decision allows finances to be channelled into alternative projects currently being run throughout the County. MCC would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by NFU Cymru and our tenants in winning the appeal, in particular Robert Bartlett, and hope as a result our landlord tenant relationship’s can continue to prosper."

Stella Owen, NFU Cymru Policy Advisor said, "We do not accept that agricultural activity was the cause of the excess reading taken prior to 2000, which resulted in the original designation of the Great Spring NVZ, therefore it was extremely unfair for the farmers in this area to face major costs and bureaucracy, when the evidence showed that the nitrate levels have fallen well below the 50mg/l level since the closure of both the Sudbrook Paper Mill and the Ministry of Defence Site at Caerwent.

"We are extremely pleased that Welsh Ministers and the Planning Inspectorate agreed with the comments made in the appeal, when the evidence showed that there was no justification whatsoever for the designation."