Lib Dems lost chance to force farm pollution rule change, Plaid claims

A "real opportunity" has been lost to force Welsh ministers to make changes to pollution rules for farmers, Plaid Cymru has claimed.

The party has criticised Welsh Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds for helping a tax law pass despite agreeing with Plaid to oppose it, and to push for concessions on the controversial rules.

No deal was reached but Ms Dodds abstained, allowing the law to pass.

The Lib Dem said she would not reject a crucial law for an unachieved deal.

Plaid Cymru group chair Llyr Gruffydd said it was a "disaster" for Ms Dodds' credibility to abstain with nothing to show on the all Wales nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ).

He wanted ministers to accept Senedd's committee's findings calling for changes to how NVZs work.

But the Lib Dems accused Plaid of having signed up to roll out, and failing to amend, the NVZ through their deal with the Welsh government.

Since the vote BBC Wales has been told that Ms Dodds spoke to the Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths on Wednesday morning about the farming rules and another meeting is planned.

However a source say she has not been offered any concessions and it is not linked to the vote.

Ministers were told directly that the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru intended to vote against the Welsh Tax Acts bill on Tuesday.

With Labour lacking a majority in the 60 member parliament, the party group was expecting the law to fall in a vote, but in the end it passed with 27 in favour, 1 abstention and 26 against. Ms Dodds' vote was crucial.

Although Plaid supports the Welsh government on some issues through the cooperation agreement, it does not back them on all.

While "deploying" the regulations is in the agreement, Plaid says Tuesday's vote and the committee findings are not part of it.

The tax legislation allows ministers to amend tax laws, which ministers say is needed so they can make urgent changes like responding to the decisions of courts or tribunals, or UK government tax changes.

But critics say the law could mean the government taking over functions that belong to the Senedd, and UK governments do not normally have powers to amend tax without permission from parliament.

According to Plaid, its group and the Lib Dem Senedd member were hoping the government would provide concessions on the NVZ in return for their support.

The Welsh government had introduced stricter rules on the storage and spread of slurry but farmers have said the measures are too costly.

A recent report by the economy committee urged ministers to reconsider the pollution regulations, including allowing grassland farms to spread up to 250kg per hectare of nitrogen.

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru's group chairman in the Senedd, said he believed the Welsh Lib Dem leader and Plaid had a united front in arguing for the Welsh government to accept the committee's recommendations in return for allowing the bill to pass.

"This was a real opportunity for us to make a stand for the rural communities that many of us hold very dear," he said.

Negotiations went into the last few hours before the vote: "We were hoping that we were pretty close.

"But it must have then emerged that maybe the opposition weren't as united as we thought we were and subsequently it became clear there was no deal to be done, and following that there was one solitary abstention which gifted the government the vote."

He said he was "hugely disappointed" and said Plaid was "let down".

If she has not achieved any concessions on NVZ, Mr Gruffydd said: "it's a disaster for her and her credibility here".

A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesman said: "We were in discussions until the very last minute in an attempt to secure a deal, however the government made very clear late on Tuesday that there was absolutely no deal to be made and it is disingenuous for Plaid Cymru to suggest 'a deal was pretty close'."

He said that while Jane had reservations about the Welsh tax act, the amendments brought forward by the Welsh government at an earlier stage in the process "went some way in addressing those concerns".

"Our understanding is that Plaid Cymru is of the same view and their opposition to the tax act is more about publicity than politics.

"Jane isn't of the view that you derail crucial legislation in a hope of a deal that had not materialized."

He added: "Plaid Cymru failed to secure the changes we both want on NVZs from their co-operation agreement and have failed to convince the Government since. As it stands they have actually signed up to roll out NVZs as part of that co-operation agreement which is there in black and white for all to see."

A spokesperson for the Welsh government said: "We are pleased the bill has been passed and will now become law.

"It will provide important protections for taxpayers and Welsh public services."