Welsh farmers could see manure spreading rules eased

Welsh farmers could be given more flexibility over when they spread manure after the rural affairs minister signalled a move away from fixed closed periods.

NFU Cymru has welcomed comments from Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability Llyr Gruffydd, who indicated he intends to alter the current rules on nutrient spreading.

The comments were made during an interview with BBC Wales this week.

Mr Gruffydd suggested he wanted to move away from the “farming-by-calendar” system set out in the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations.

Closed periods restrict when organic manures can be spread, regardless of whether local soil and weather conditions may be suitable.

NFU Cymru said the current rules have prevented farmers from applying nutrients when conditions were right, while also putting pressure on slurry storage during wet periods.

The controversial regulations were introduced by the previous Welsh Government in 2021.

Farming organisations in Wales have campaigned against them since their introduction and took the issue to judicial review at the High Court in 2022.

NFU Cymru has long argued that the pan-Wales rules and closed periods are disproportionate, describing the existing system as a blunt and inefficient instrument that creates high costs for farmers and unintended consequences for the environment.

According to NFU Cymru president Abi Reader, the closed periods have placed farms across Wales under “immense strain”, with the “farming-by-calendar approach” leaving farmers “hamstrung” and putting slurry infrastructure under pressure.

Many farmers, she added, have been frustrated by being unable to apply valuable nutrients when weather and soil conditions are suitable, often because of an “arbitrary date”.

The union has called for a science and evidence-led approach to water quality, a key ask in its Growing Forward manifesto ahead of the recent Senedd elections.

Ms Reader described the minister’s intention to change the closed periods as encouraging, saying it appeared to align with Plaid Cymru’s manifesto commitment to implement “a new science-led, outcomes based and risk-proportionate approach to managing nitrate vulnerability across catchments”.

Recent advances in precision application and soil monitoring could allow more targeted decisions based on conditions in individual fields, NFU Cymru believes.

Ms Reader argued that such technology could give farmers the focused data needed to apply nutrients at the best time while avoiding harm to the local environment.

She added that caring for and enhancing the environment would always be a priority for Welsh farmers.

NFU Cymru now wants to work with the Welsh Government to turn the proposed shift into practical changes for farmers.