News

Pembrokeshire farmers’ fears over WG scheme

Published

10 years ago

October 7, 2016

River Cleddau: 2,000 farms affected

WELSH GOVERNMENT plans to introduce restrictions on the activities that farmers can carry out on their land and designated times of the year has been met with scepticism and concern by Pembrokeshire’s farmers.

The Welsh Government has introduced a consultation on its scheme to designate the Haven Waterway and two Cleddaus as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ). Farmers claim that the move will increase the costs of production, threaten farms’ viability, and have an adverse effect on the Pembrokeshire Early crop.

WHAT IS AN NVZ?

An NVZ designation places a series of restrictions on farmers’ ability to use certain types of fertiliser on their land at prescribed times of the year. The aim is to reduce the effect that run off from agricultural land has on the environment.

The effects of nitrate pollution on the aquatic environment can be significant. High nitrate concentrations can cause a deterioration in water quality and disturb the ecosystems of rivers and other watercourses. Over enrichment of water can lead to a depletion of oxygen levels leading to a loss of marine life and causes increased toxic and non-toxic algal blooms, which make the situation worse by reducing water transparency. Nitrate pollution can reduce not only the diversity of plant life but also damage fish and shellfish stocks, as the algae consume the available oxygen suffocating other life.

In the worst case scenario, anaerobic (oxygen-starved) conditions cause toxic bacteria to thrive and can create ‘dead zones’.

In order to tackle the threat posed by nitrate pollution, in 1991 the European Union adopted rules governing nitrate pollution and sought to regulate the extent of nitrate pollution entering the environment.

UKIP OPPOSES MOVE

Speaking to The Herald in August, UKIP Wales leader Neil Hamilton told us: “With the imminence of Brexit, it is absurd for the Welsh Government to go ahead with consultations on potential NVZs under the EU Nitrates Directive.

“If implemented, these new zones will adversely affect about 25% of the Welsh dairy herd and 50% of the Welsh potato crop. I will oppose strongly any move by the Welsh Government to impose these zones.

“Farmers don’t need to be dictated to. They know what is best for their land and their crops and they should be allowed to make their own decisions based on personal knowledge of their land and weather conditions.”

Notwithstanding Mr Hamilton’s words, the Welsh Government has decided that now is the time – with Article 50, triggering the UK’s departure/divorce from the EU, due to be activated next March at the latest – to embark upon a round of consultations about the imposition of a regulatory burden based on EU law upon farmers already uncertain about the effect of Brexit upon their incomes.

The rationale underpinning the consultation is based on the environmental principles underpinning the original policy. However, the potential impact of agriculture around the Haven Waterway is significant.

‘EXTREMELY COSTLY’

Pembrokeshire NFU Cymru County Chairman, Walter Simon, said: “Up to 2,000 farmers in in the western and eastern Cleddau river catchments and the Milford Haven estuary could face strict limitations on the use of nitrates on their farms and also face the challenge of a whole host of tough new rules due to potential plans from Welsh Government to extend Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) in Wales.

“The Welsh Government are now consulting on proposals that have the potential to bring in 25% of all the land in Wales which is used for milk production and also half of the area that is used to grow potatoes in Wales under a new NVZ designation.”

Mr Simon explained his members’ concerns: “The potential new rules include strict limitations and restrictions on the amount of livestock manure, slurry and fertiliser farmers can spread on their land, particularly during the autumn and winter months and, in tandem with this, there would be very strict requirements on farmers to keep detailed records.

“Dairy and beef farmers would also be required to have storage facilities for slurry and manure for five months from October to March. This is likely to be extremely costly for farmers to implement at a time when they’re receiving very low prices in the market for their products.”

He concluded by questioning the basis upon which the Welsh Government was advancing the plans at this time: “In the context of the EU Referendum decision, it’s very questionable if the implementation of this EU directive should be taken forward. However, if Welsh Government choose to implement this then NFU Cymru is calling on them to base any new NVZ areas on sound scientific evidence. We will scrutinise the evidence in great detail and we’re willing to challenge government plans unless they are robust and stand up to scrutiny.”

‘LONG TERM DAMAGE’ CLAIM

Responding for the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies AM warned that excessive regulations could do ‘long term damage’ to the farming industry.

The Conservatives’ Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “Farmers across Wales will be rightly concerned about the Welsh Government’s proposed new Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) designations.

“The regulatory burden will do nothing to attract people to farming and the costs attached to these proposals will put a heavy burden on Welsh farmers, at a time when the Welsh Government should be doing more to support our rural economy.

“It seems that both options would unnecessarily and unreasonably affect Welsh farmers.

“That’s why it’s important that a strong message is sent to the Welsh Government and I strongly urge farmers from all parts of the country to respond to this consultation and make sure their voices are heard.”

WG APPROACH LACKS EVIDENCE

FUW Senior Policy Officer Dr Hazel Wright, who has been representing the Union in the review process, said: ‘‘The FUW has been involved in the NVZ review and has made successful representations on several designations, which resulted in their removal from the discrete areas option of the consultation.

“However, the number of proposed new designations remain a concern and the FUW continues to reiterate the operational and financial impacts those designations would have upon farms that reside within an NVZ area. Given such costs, there must be full justification for any proposed increases in designation.”

Two options outlined in the consultation include the continuation of the discrete approach to designation or the designation of the whole of Wales as a NVZ. A continuation of the discrete approach would see an increase in the amount of NVZ designations in Wales rise from 2.4% to 8%. This would mean significant changes to NVZ designation in counties such as Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Anglesey.

“The FUW remains resolutely against the option to apply the action programme throughout the whole of Wales as this would require all landowners to comply with the NVZ action programme measures.

“There is a distinct lack of evidence for a whole territory approach and the difficulties and costs associated with regulatory compliance for farms whose land does not drain into nitrate polluted waters, makes this option both unwarranted and unreasonably excessive,” added Dr Wright.

2,000 FARMS COULD BE AFFECTED

Mid and West AM, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Simon Thomas said: “Plaid Cymru understands that up to potentially 2,000 farms that border on the Cleddau tributaries and the Cleddau estuary area would be affected. These farmers would face the need to make huge investments at a difficult time, for example, in slurry storage.

“We have called upon the Welsh Government to provide those farmers with support to meet the requirements without jeopardising their businesses.

“Natural Resources Wales would be tasked with regulating the NVZs. The organisation has faced cuts in the last Assembly Term. We have called upon the Welsh Government to ensure that NRW has the resources it needs to carry out its duties. As much as possible, both NRW and the Labour Welsh Government should work to achieve the aims of the NVZ through voluntary means and must also examine other potential factors outside of farming.”

NFU Cymru is encouraging affected farmers within the county to get involved with the consultation process. A meeting will be held on Thursday (Oct 13) at The Pavilion, Pembrokeshire Showground, Withybush, Haverfordwest, starting at 7:30pm. Access to The Pavilion for the meeting is via Gate 3, which is 200m past the main entrance to the Showground.

Crime

Milford man admits TV piracy offences linked to estimated £6m losses

Published

10 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

Michael David Barrow, 48, of Priory Road, Milford Haven, will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after admitting supplying modified Fire Sticks and apps used to access subscription content illegally

A MILFORD HAVEN man has admitted a series of piracy offences said to have caused an estimated £6m loss to digital content providers including Amazon Prime, BT Sport and Sky.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard this week that Michael David Barrow, 48, operated over a five-year period, supplying adapted Amazon Fire TV sticks and apps that allowed customers to access paid television services without paying the usual subscription fees.

Prosecuting on behalf of the FA Premier League, Ari Alibhai KC told District Judge Mark Layton that the offending took place between October 2019 and February 2024.

“The offences concern the operation and supply of what is collectively termed a streaming service,” he said.

“This involved hardware such as Fire Sticks, but also app-based services to enable customers to access paid television services such as Sky, BT Sport and online videos which would normally attract a subscription fee, thus enabling customers to bypass the cost.”

The court heard that Barrow’s customer base was not limited to Pembrokeshire, but extended across the UK.

“According to Snap, he had around 1,800 users and was paid in cash as well as through PayPal,” said Mr Alibhai.

“It’s estimated that the defendant received approximately £213,000 while the scale of potential loss to the broadcasters is around £6m. This is not an exact sum, but it is indicative of the effects that this kind of piracy has.”

The prosecution said an aggravating feature of the case was that Barrow had previously been warned about his activities.

In 2021, he was sent a cease and desist notice telling him to stop supplying the illegal services.

“The notice indicated, in black and white, the potential consequences,” Mr Alibhai said. “He failed to respond.”

Barrow pleaded guilty to making and supplying applications, apps and other electronic data enabling access to paid television content without appropriate payment being made; supplying apps and other electronic data enabling access to pay television content without appropriate payment being made; and supplying Amazon Fire TV sticks which, when adapted, enabled access to pay television content without appropriate payment being made.

Given the seriousness of the offences, Judge Layton declined jurisdiction.

Barrow will now be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (May 12). He was released on unconditional bail.

News

Starmer crisis deepens as Welsh Labour braces for Senedd vote

Published

11 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Fresh evidence over Peter Mandelson’s appointment has piled more pressure on the Prime Minister as Welsh Labour faces a grim polling picture just weeks before voters go to the polls

FRESH pressure was mounting on Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday (Apr 21) after former senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins told MPs he faced “constant pressure” from Downing Street to speed Peter Mandelson into post as ambassador to Washington.

The evidence has deepened a row that has already sparked calls for Starmer to quit and threatens to overshadow Labour campaigns heading into the Senedd election on Thursday, May 7.

Robbins, who was sacked last week, told a parliamentary committee there had been an “atmosphere of constant chasing” and “frequent phone calls” from Starmer’s private office as ministers pushed to get Mandelson into the role quickly.

Starmer has admitted the appointment was wrong, but has blamed officials for not telling him that vetting advisers were leaning against clearance.

The timing could hardly be worse for Welsh Labour.

A new ITV Cymru Wales poll published on Tuesday evening put Plaid Cymru and Reform UK level on 29% each, with Labour back on 13 per cent, a result projected to leave the party with only about 12 seats.

The same poll suggested First Minister Eluned Morgan could even lose her own seat, underlining the scale of the threat facing Labour in Wales after decades of dominance.

That bleak picture was reinforced by separate modelling published on Monday (Apr 20), which suggested Labour could be pushed into third place altogether, behind both Plaid Cymru and Reform.

The wider UK backdrop is hardly helping. The latest Westminster voting intention figures put Labour on just 16 per cent, behind Reform UK on 27 per cent and also trailing both the Conservatives and the Greens on 17 per cent.

That suggests Starmer is now leading a government with a serious authority problem well beyond Westminster gossip or internal party grumbling.

Even inside Labour, the language has become more ominous. Ed Miliband said he feared Mandelson’s appointment could “blow up”, a remark that will do little to calm nerves among Labour candidates already facing angry voters on the doorstep.

Although Labour MPs are not believed to expect an immediate move to remove Starmer before the May elections, Robbins’ evidence is likely to heap even more pressure on the Prime Minister at the worst possible time.

For Welsh Labour, the danger is obvious.

Instead of fighting the Senedd election on devolved issues alone, the party now finds itself dragged back into a Westminster scandal centred on judgment, transparency and competence.

In a campaign where voters already appear to be looking for change, that is an ugly place to be.

Whether the Mandelson affair proves fatal to Starmer’s premiership remains to be seen. But with just over a fortnight until Wales goes to the polls, it is becoming harder for Labour to argue that events in London are not poisoning the brand in Cardiff Bay too.

News

Welsh Conservatives say they are ‘only party’ committed to protecting Withybush

Published

11 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PAUL DAVIES and Samuel Kurtz have reaffirmed that the Welsh Conservatives are the only political party to make an explicit manifesto commitment to protecting services at both Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.

At a time when health services across Mid and West Wales are under growing pressure, the lead Conservative candidates for Ceredigion Penfro say local people must continue to have access to safe, high-quality care close to home. They argue that means safeguarding and strengthening vital district general hospitals such as Withybush and Bronglais.

Both candidates say they have led sustained efforts to oppose further downgrades at Withybush Hospital, working closely with residents, campaigners and healthcare professionals. They have also backed community campaigns and stood alongside local people in defence of essential services.

In the Senedd, Paul Davies and Samuel Kurtz say they have repeatedly raised concerns about proposed service changes, challenged Welsh Government ministers and pressed for clear assurances over the future of local healthcare. They have also written directly to Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Health Minister calling for action to protect key services.

They say that, if re-elected, they will continue to stand up for local healthcare services regardless of which party forms the next Welsh Government.

Paul Davies said: “We have long been clear that any further downgrading of services at Withybush Hospital is unacceptable. We have stood with our communities, supported local campaigns and used every opportunity in the Senedd to fight for the services people rely on.

“The Welsh Conservatives are the only party to make an explicit commitment in our manifesto to protecting services at both Withybush and Bronglais hospitals. That shows a clear and unwavering commitment to safeguarding local healthcare in West Wales.”

Samuel Kurtz added: “People should not have to travel hours for treatment that could and should be delivered locally. We will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account, whoever forms it after May, to secure proper investment and ensure these hospitals remain at the heart of our communities.

“Let us be absolutely clear: we will be relentless in opposing any attempt to strip services from our rural hospitals, and we will not hesitate to challenge anyone who threatens their future.”