“Good water quality isn’t just an environmental goal. It’s a foundation for a strong, resilient, farming future here in Wales” – Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies.
Ahead of the Water Summit at the Pembrokeshire County Showground (Thursday 25 September) the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies calls for urgent action on water quality.
During the Summit, the Deputy First Minister will outline how government, farmers, water companies and environmental groups must work together to clean up Wales’ rivers and coastal waters.
The focus of Thursday’s summit will be on tackling agricultural pollution.
Welsh Government has already committed £52 million to support nutrient management improvements, receiving over 540 applications in the latest funding round. But there is more to be done.
The Deputy First Minister, said: “Water is one of our most fundamental resources, for people and for nature. We must clean up our rivers. The current state of our waterways in Wales is rightly a cause for concern for people up and down the country. Too many of our rivers are too polluted. That cannot continue.”
“We know that improving the health of our rivers means that we have to collaborate, across all sectors of society. It requires action from water companies, regulators, government, developers, farmers, environmental organisations and more. We need a whole of society response, where every sector takes responsibility for doing what we can.”
From the uplands of Eryri to the dairy pastures in Pembrokeshire, water is central to agriculture – to livestock health, crop productivity and the resilience of local economies.
The Deputy First Minister, said: “Good water quality isn’t just an environmental goal. It’s a foundation for a strong, resilient, farming future here in Wales.
Those of you working in the agriculture sector are central to the solution. Working together, we need to go further than we have before, challenge each other more than we have before, and we need to move quickly to make real improvements.”
“It is also true that the way we manage land, soil and nutrients can have a profound impact on water quality. This summit is about recognising this reality – and responding to it.”
The Welsh Government has already invested millions in improving water quality and has today announced further backing for the West Wales Nutrient Management Board with an additional £550,000 — funding the installation of real-time water quality monitors to tackle nutrient pollution and a dedicated Marine Nutrients Co-ordinator.
The Sustainable Farming Scheme will play a central role in future improvements. SFS contains Universal Actions on soil health, integrated pest management and habitat maintenance – combined with the right advice and guidance all these will have benefits for water quality.
A follow-up Water Summit will take place later this year to keep driving progress on actions identified at Thursday’s event.
The Deputy First Minister, concluded: “Together we can rise to the challenge and show that farming and water protection are not at odds – they’re part of the same future.”
