“Let’s continue this work together for the benefit of our rivers, our communities and our future” – Deputy First Minister
Families, wildlife and rural communities across Wales will benefit from cleaner rivers following a Water Summit chaired by Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, which confirmed progress on water quality improvement.
The Summit, held at Hensol Castle on 22 January, brought together government, regulators, industry, environmental organisations and farming unions to drive forward a collective approach to restoring Wales's waterbodies.
Speaking at the Summit, which focused on agriculture, the Deputy First Minister said:
"Water is at the heart of Welsh life, our communities, our farms, our wildlife, our sense of place - and as we all know, it is under pressure.
“The challenges we face are complex, interconnected and longstanding. But the work underway across government, regulators, industry, NGOs and farming unions gives me confidence that we are moving with purpose and in partnership."
The Welsh Government is making changes to agricultural pollution rules following an independent review. A Task and Finish Group has been established and is working through the recommendations in phases. The changes will make the rules clearer, more proportionate and better focused on highest-risk activities.
Natural Resources Wales reported that collaborative work with farms has increased compliance rates from 37 per cent to 47 per cent.
Enforcement funding has been increased to £1.58 million for 2025-26, within a total commitment of £4.13 million.
Farmers want to invest in more sustainable systems. Nutrient management and slurry storage improvements are key to enabling farms to apply nutrients when they are required by the crop and avoid causing pollution.
A strong demand for nutrient management support continues and the Welsh Government has already committed £69m towards nutrient management and slurry storage improvements - with more than 540 expressions of interest in the latest window.
Work is also underway through the Nutrient Trading Group to explore and develop a nutrient trading platform. The Welsh Government is actively developing market-based solutions, including nutrient trading, which has the potential to become a transformative tool for river catchments, and an innovative opportunity for farmers and landowners.
Two new schemes to assist the agriculture sector with water quality emerged from discussions at the Water Summit as the Deputy First Minister announced new funding to help farmers tackle water quality challenges.
The Integrated Natural Resources Scheme (INRS) will open a new application window later this year, specifically targeting interventions that enhance and improve water quality. The scheme supports nature-based solutions at a landscape scale as part of the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Further details will follow before the end of March.
In addition – and following consideration from the Control of Agricultural Pollutions Regulations (CoAP) Task and Finish Group – the potential of farm-level pilot projects to support the implementation of recommendations from the CoAP Regulations review was explored at the Summit. The discussions will now be fed back to the Task and Finish Group.
The Deputy First Minister concluded:
"Our ambition is clear: healthier rivers, a sustainable and profitable farming sector, thriving rural communities, a regulatory system that is fair, proportionate and enforceable, and new economic opportunities in nature-based investment and environmental markets.
“This is a collective mission. No one sector created the problem, and no one sector can solve it. But together, with the right evidence, the right investment, the right incentives and the right regulation, we can restore Wales's waterbodies to the healthy, living systems that our communities, our wildlife and our economy deserve.”
Next month the Deputy First Minister will publish a Green Paper which will be the first step in shaping the future of water governance in Wales.
