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Question from: County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan Subject: New Nitrate Vulnerable Zones [NVZ] rules
Question:
In view of the new NVZ rules can you please confirm the following:
Minutes: Response by the Portfolio Holder:
Thank you for your question.
i) There are currently 11 dairy units on the County Farms Estate. ii) Looking specifically at these dairy farms, it is envisaged that expenditure of some £220,000 may be required to provide sufficient slurry storage to comply with the regulations (precise capital costs will be subject to review of stock numbers and analysis of ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ yard areas). As a Landlord the Council will expect tenants to provide the substantial proportion of this investment, adjusting stocking numbers and farm management practices where necessary to assist with compliance, although there will be cases where the Landlord is obliged to make improvements to the farm. iii) A further 67 farms where beef animals are reared are likely to be affected by the regulations. In these cases compliance may be achieved through alterations to farm management or investment by the tenant to improve farm infrastructure.
We will continue to work with Welsh Government and the farming unions (with whom I meet regularly) and also working through the WLGA Rural Forum, which I jointly Chair, to achieve any possible financial support for the development of agricultural buildings and slurry pits for the holding of manure.
As a Local Authority we would wish to support our businesses and our economy, any support which can be provided by Members of the County Council through their own contacts would be extremely welcome. |