English: The Welsh Government's decision to bring forward regulations that will see the whole of Wales designated as a nitrate vulnerable zone from 1 April has certainly caused an immense amount of frustration and anxiety for farmers in my constituency. The volume of e-mails I've received on this issue demonstrates just that. As someone from a farming family myself and as someone who has married into a dairy farming family, I'd like to think I'm acutely aware of the impact that these proposals will have not just on the financial viability of many farms but also on the mental health of farmers, who face these regulations during a global pandemic. Indeed, the very fact that the Welsh Government has had this issue hanging over the farming sector for several years now has caused a lot of anxiety, uncertainty and, indeed, frustration, and it's deeply disappointing that the Welsh Government now intend to introduce these regulations, especially when they promised not to do so during a pandemic. The excessive burden that these regulations will put on farmers will do nothing to attract people to farming, and therefore I believe that it will seriously damage the industry in the long term. Indeed, the many e-mails I've received tell me that, sadly, many farmers will be forced out of business because of these regulations. Now, the Welsh Government tell us that the regulations are necessary to tackle water pollution, but the portal run by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, which was sent to me by the Members' Research Service, shows that, in the last year or so, only up to 15 per cent of pollution occurrences were caused by agricultural incidents. As Angela Burns said, these regulations are a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Now, the Welsh Government's approach also fails to take into account some of the good work already being done by farmers across Wales. For example, in my own constituency, the Wales catchment sensitive farming demonstration project is an example of a very successful voluntary scheme that was well received by farmers. There was also an offset scheme operated successfully by a group of First Milk farmers in the Cleddau catchment, led by local farmers Will Pritchard and Mike Smith, which also delivered a workable alternative delivering measurable reductions in nitrates. Therefore, it was deeply disappointing that the Welsh Government has not sought to build on this activity and develop a solution that works with our farming sector and not against it. Now, as you would expect, local farmers in Pembrokeshire have raised several issues with the regulations, for example, the closed periods, as we've already heard, for spreading do not take into account the weather conditions that farmers have to work with, and the prolonged wet weather has an impact on the ability to undertake slurry spreading and storage. As has already been said, there are also concerns over the regulation that stipulates that farms in Wales can't exceed a certain amount of nitrogen per hectare, while in other parts of the UK, the limits are much more flexible. To put this into context, one business has made it clear that they will either have to find another 125 acres of land to support their current stock numbers or reduce their stock levels, which will have a significant impact on their output and therefore their business. This shows the very real impact that these regulations will have on farmers, and how some of them will now be forced to make huge decisions that will impact their livelihoods. And the Welsh Government has committed to providing some financial assistance to farmers in order to help them comply with the regulations, but the £13 million offered by the Welsh Government does not sufficiently support the farming sector, and there's no mention in the Welsh Government's statements about the support that the Welsh Government should be making available to businesses that have had to reduce their stock levels because of these regulations. So, therefore, perhaps the Minister will take the opportunity today to spell out exactly what support will be offered to farmers who have had to reduce stock or accrue additional land to comply with these regulations. And finally, Deputy Presiding Officer, I believe these regulations will harm the future of the sector in the long run, and they will do little to attract the younger generations into farming, and so the Welsh Government must consider all of these wider consequences and find an approach to tackling water pollution that is not only evidence based and proportionate but that ultimately works with the industry and does not destabilise its future. I therefore urge Members to support the Welsh Conservatives' motion.
Welsh: Yn sicr, mae penderfyniad Llywodraeth Cymru i gyflwyno rheoliadau a fydd yn gweld Cymru gyfan yn cael ei dynodi'n barth perygl nitradau o 1 Ebrill wedi achosi llawer iawn o rwystredigaeth a phryder i ffermwyr yn fy etholaeth. Mae nifer y negeseuon e-bost rwyf wedi'u cael ar y mater hwn yn dangos hynny. Fel rhywun o deulu ffermio fy hun ac fel rhywun sydd wedi priodi i deulu ffermio llaeth, hoffwn feddwl fy mod yn ymwybodol iawn o'r effaith y bydd y cynigion hyn yn ei chael nid yn unig ar hyfywedd ariannol llawer o ffermydd ond hefyd ar iechyd meddwl ffermwyr, sy'n wynebu'r rheoliadau hyn yn ystod pandemig byd-eang. Yn wir, mae'r union ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dal ati i hongian y mater hwn uwchben y sector ffermio ers sawl blwyddyn bellach wedi achosi llawer o bryder, ansicrwydd, a rhwystredigaeth yn wir, ac mae'n siomedig iawn fod Llywodraeth Cymru bellach yn bwriadu cyflwyno'r rheoliadau hyn, yn enwedig pan wnaethant addo peidio â gwneud hynny yn ystod pandemig. Ni fydd y baich gormodol y bydd y rheoliadau hyn yn ei osod ar ffermwyr yn gwneud dim i ddenu pobl i ffermio, ac felly credaf y bydd yn niweidio'r diwydiant yn ddifrifol yn y tymor hir. Yn wir, mae'r negeseuon e-bost niferus rwyf wedi'u cael yn dweud wrthyf y bydd llawer o ffermwyr, yn anffodus, yn cael eu gorfodi i roi'r gorau iddi oherwydd y rheoliadau hyn. Nawr, dywed Llywodraeth Cymru wrthym fod angen y rheoliadau i fynd i'r afael â llygredd dŵr, ond mae'r porth sy'n cael ei redeg gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, a anfonwyd ataf gan Wasanaeth Ymchwil yr Aelodau, yn dangos mai dim ond hyd at 15 y cant o'r achosion o lygredd a achoswyd gan ddigwyddiadau amaethyddol yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf. Fel y dywedodd Angela Burns, mae'r rheoliadau hyn yn ordd i dorri cneuen. Nawr, mae dull gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn methu ystyried peth o'r gwaith da sydd eisoes yn cael ei wneud gan ffermwyr ledled Cymru. Er enghraifft, yn fy etholaeth i, mae prosiect arddangos ffermio sensitif i ddalgylch afon Cymru yn enghraifft o gynllun gwirfoddol llwyddiannus iawn a gafodd dderbyniad da gan ffermwyr. Roedd cynllun gwrthbwyso a gâi ei weithredu'n llwyddiannus gan grŵp o ffermwyr First Milk yn nalgylch Cleddau, dan arweiniad y ffermwyr lleol, Will Pritchard a Mike Smith, hefyd yn darparu dewis ymarferol arall i sicrhau gostyngiadau mesuradwy mewn nitradau. Felly, roedd yn siomedig iawn nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ceisio adeiladu ar y gweithgaredd hwn a datblygu ateb sy'n gweithio gyda'n sector ffermio ac nid yn ei erbyn. Nawr, fel y byddech yn disgwyl, mae ffermwyr lleol yn sir Benfro wedi codi sawl mater gyda'r rheoliadau, er enghraifft, nid yw'r cyfnodau gwaharddedig, fel y clywsom eisoes, ar gyfer gwasgaru yn ystyried amodau tywydd y mae'n rhaid i ffermwyr weithio gyda hwy, ac mae'r cyfnod hir o dywydd gwlyb yn effeithio ar y gallu i wasgaru a storio slyri. Fel y dywedwyd eisoes, mae pryderon hefyd ynghylch y rheoliad sy'n pennu na all ffermydd yng Nghymru wasgaru mwy na mesur penodol o nitrogen yr hectar, tra bo'r terfynau'n llawer mwy hyblyg mewn rhannau eraill o'r DU. I roi hyn yn ei gyd-destun, mae un busnes wedi dweud yn glir y bydd yn rhaid iddynt naill ai ddod o hyd i 125 erw arall o dir i gynnal eu nifer bresennol o stoc neu leihau eu lefelau stoc, a fydd yn effeithio'n sylweddol ar eu hallbwn ac felly ar eu busnes. Dengys hyn yr effaith wirioneddol y bydd y rheoliadau hyn yn ei chael ar ffermwyr, a sut y caiff rhai ohonynt eu gorfodi yn awr i wneud penderfyniadau enfawr a fydd yn effeithio ar eu bywoliaeth. Ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i ddarparu rhywfaint o gymorth ariannol i ffermwyr er mwyn eu helpu i gydymffurfio â'r rheoliadau, ond nid yw'r £13 miliwn a gynigir gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi'r sector ffermio'n ddigonol, ac nid oes sôn yn natganiadau Llywodraeth Cymru am y gefnogaeth y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru ei darparu i fusnesau sydd wedi gorfod lleihau eu lefelau stoc oherwydd y rheoliadau hyn. Felly, efallai y gwnaiff y Gweinidog fanteisio ar y cyfle heddiw i nodi'n union pa gymorth a gynigir i ffermwyr sydd wedi gorfod lleihau stoc neu gael tir ychwanegol i gydymffurfio â'r rheoliadau hyn. Ac yn olaf, Ddirprwy Lywydd, credaf y bydd y rheoliadau hyn yn niweidio dyfodol y sector yn y tymor hir, ac ni wnânt fawr ddim i ddenu'r genhedlaeth iau i ffermio, ac felly mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru ystyried yr holl ganlyniadau ehangach hyn a dod o hyd i ddull o fynd i'r afael â llygredd dŵr sydd nid yn unig yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth ac yn gymesur ond sy'n gweithio gyda'r diwydiant yn y pen draw, dull nad yw'n dadsefydlogi ei ddyfodol. Felly, rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi cynnig y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig.