The ‘Phosphorus in the River Wye - Evidence Base for Wales, Evidence base and options appraisal, Issue 4, 8 December 2025’ document is attached for ease of reference; this is the same version distributed to board members on 9 January 2026.

[Herefordshire Council / Natural Resources Wales / Ricardo]

The main points of the discussion on the ‘Phosphorus in the River Wye - Evidence Base for Wales, Issue 4, 8 December 2025’ (Evidence Base for Wales) included:

1.           The Chairperson noted the need for an overarching document to reconcile differences of approach taken to the Evidence Base for Wales and the Diffuse Water Pollution Plan (DWPP).

2.           Simon Evans commented that: references to phosphorus should be reviewed; the document was well structured; modelling using Farmscoper V5 was endorsed; and the findings of UKTAG and the Wye Algae Project in relation to phosphate should be noted.

3.           Jed Knight said that there was a lack of ownership in the document in terms of some of the recommendations and actions currently but acknowledged that this may be addressed through the Nutrient Management Plan.

4.           Councillor Maby queried the percentage figures for ‘attributed sources of phosphorus in the failing waterbodies’, as mentioned in the Executive Summary; it was noted that Figure 11 showed total sector contributions.

5.           Merry Albright commented on the need for universal information and noted potential challenges in aligning the Evidence Base for Wales and the DWPP.

6.           Councillor Charlton commented on: differences in the presentation in the two documents; the need to assist laypersons in understanding the situation and the proposed actions; the limitations of voluntary agriculture mitigation measures; and the positive actions being undertaken by water companies.

7.           Merry Albright re-iterated the need for quantification, especially as this would help to demonstrate the outcomes being delivered.

8.           The Chairperson urged delivery partners and board members cited on actions applying to the production or control of nutrients to report such matters to the board.

9.           In response to questions from the Chairperson, Ann Weedy commented on the phasing of the Control of Agriculture Pollution Regulations and said that it would take time to increase compliance and for associated improvements to become evident; hence the sentence ‘It is recommended that compliance with existing regulation is improved before NRW introduce increased controls as part of a WPZ.’

10.        The Chairperson acknowledged the concerns expressed by other board members regarding the uptake and implementation of voluntary measures and the necessity for a more assertive stance, noting ‘Do not apply P fertilisers to high P index soils’ as an example.

11.        Andrew McRobb said that it would have been preferable if both documents had been commissioned in identical formats but noted the different drivers for each.

To receive an update on the Welsh evidence base; the draft report has been shared with external peer-reviewers for comments and feedback which are due for submission by 27 October 2025.

[Gemma Dando, Herefordshire Council]

Gemma Dando reported that the Welsh Evidence Base document had been circulated for peer review with the statutory agencies and local authorities, with responses due back by the end of the week.  A further iteration would then be circulated to board members.