Reform pledges to scrap blanket NVZ in Wales
© Tim Scrivener Reform UK has vowed to scrap the controversial all-Wales nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) designation as it launches its Senedd election manifesto, in what it describes as a decisive break from years of “ideological” farming policy under Labour.
Party leader Nigel Farage and Wales leader Dan Thomas are due to officially launch the manifesto at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport today (Thursday 5 March).
Ahead of the event, Reform has set out its agriculture and countryside policy for Wales, dubbed “Putting farmers first”, which is focused on food production, livestock support and deregulation.
See also: Farage targets Welsh farmers, but questions remain
At the heart of the policy is a pledge to end the blanket NVZ rules that currently apply across the whole of Wales, limiting manure application to 170kg of N/ha.
Reform says it would replace the existing regime with a targeted, catchment-based system focused only on high-risk areas, alongside capital support where needed.
The commitment is likely to resonate strongly in livestock-heavy rural constituencies, where the NVZ has been fiercely criticised as disproportionate and costly by farmers and the two main Welsh farming unions, NFU Cymru and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.
Farmers at ‘breaking point’
Reform UK Senedd member James Evans told Farmers Weekly that Welsh farmers had been pushed “to breaking point”.
“After years of Plaid-backed Welsh Labour governments piling ideological targets and excessive regulation onto our farmers, rural Wales has been pushed to breaking point,” he said.
Mr Evans, the member for , said a Reform-led Welsh government would “reset farming policy so that food production, profitability and rural jobs come first”, adding that the party would also overhaul the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).
Under its plans, the current SFS would be progressively ended and replaced with a reconfigured system offering greater choice, increased livestock production payments and a voluntary environmental scheme.
The party says it would strip out what it calls “duplicative requirements”, reduce paperwork and move towards outcome-based standards.
The stance marks a clear dividing line with the Welsh Labour government’s flagship post-Brexit support framework, which has drawn criticism from sections of the farming community over universal actions and tree-planting requirements.
HCC overhaul
Reform says it would overhaul red meat levy body Hybu Cig Cymru by making it farmer-owned and levypayer led, introducing elected representation and ring-fencing funds for promoting Welsh lamb and beef at home and abroad.
The party is also promising to work with farmers and unions to develop a 10-year Welsh food strategy, underpinned by legislation, to safeguard domestic production of beef, lamb and dairy and reduce reliance on imports.
On bovine TB, the party is backing a “science-led” eradication strategy including targeted wildlife control, alongside testing and cattle movement measures.
Other policies
Beyond core farming policy, Reform is proposing a national rural Wales apprenticeship scheme to tackle chronic labour shortages, support for small abattoirs, mandatory labelling of non-stun slaughtered meat, and planning reforms to help retiring farmers remain on their land.
Countryside Alliance Wales has outlined its farming and rural priorities for the next Welsh government, including farming support, wildlife management and rural crime. Other parties will publish their Senedd election manifestos in coming weeks.