Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Yes, hopefully it will be a general election. The Minister must also address the issue of the time scale. Paragraph 5.17 of the document says that ““We will explore””—wow!—"““the possibility of simplifying the process for obtaining planning permission for the construction of new manure storage facilities””" with regard to anaerobic digestion. The measures come in in three months' time. Yes, there is a two-year process, but the Minister knows damn well—he has been a local government Minister—that if all he is doing is exploring the issue, there is no way that in two years and three months, every farmer will have manure storage up and running so that they meet the necessary obligations. The proposals are typical of DEFRA's approach over the past few years. There is an obsession with process rather than outcome. We are trying to achieve a reduction in nitrates in the water, but we have been given a huge list of prescriptions and a tick-box system. There is no room for discretion by farmers and no recognition that farmers can be trusted to know their local situation. There is no thought about the true cost to the industry. It really is now time for a whole new approach to how we deal with regulations. It is time to say to our farmers and other businesses, ““We trust you. This is what we are trying to achieve. We will not tell you how to do it, but we will trust you to achieve it. If you do not, we will come down on you like a ton of bricks, but you know your farm, your soil, your finances, your rainfall and so on.”” I urge the Minister, even at this late stage, to reconsider the regulations and, for goodness' sake, heed the universal appeal. Even Labour Members have been sensitively critical. They have all made the same point. I urge him to come back with something that achieves the objectives, but is reasonable for the industry.