Regulating farming seems to be a preferred pursuit of politicians as they joyously wrap red tape around the industry to the point where it struggles to breathe.

Take the proposal to create nitrate vulnerable zones (NVZ) in Wales, one at Bosherston, where half a dozen farmers, including my husband, run dairy farms.

This sounds all well and good from an environmental point of view, except when you look for proof that it is necessary.

There is not a shred of evidence to suggest that any of the watercourses in this area are polluted with nitrates.

This has been backed up by maps, recently published by the Environment Agency for its water framework directive, which give the area a clean bill of health.

In fact Broadhaven South beach, which neighbours the Bosherston lily pools and these farms, is a Blue Flag beach, designated as such because of the high quality of its bathing water.

It is nonsensical to make this area a nitrate vulnerable zone. It will mean ridiculous costs in terms of unnecessary slurry storage.

Most of the farms in the proposed area house their cows only for very short periods, preferring to produce their milk from grass. So they don't need six months worth of slurry storage because they don't have that much slurry to store. Mostly, cows are only inside for two months.

Stocking rates would have to be reduced too, putting farmers in NVZs at a disadvantage to the rest of the farming communities who will have no such restriction on production.

Waters do need protecting against pollution from agriculture, but why force through a regulation when there isn't a problem? As the old saying goes If it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

It is right that farmers in proposed NVZs are challenging the evidence-base for creating these zones.

And well done to south Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns for encouraging the Welsh Assembly to take a sensible approach to this by hosting a recent meeting when farmers had the opportunity to explain how designation would affect them.

2:52pm Friday 9th May 2008

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