NFU Cymru labelled the package to support farmers to adapt to such drastic changes as ‘woefully inadequate’. The union said that given the gravity of the current Covid-19 pandemic and previous statements from the minister that she was not minded to act until the Covid crisis had come to an end, the industry will feel misled by the government’s u-turn. The Farmers Union of Wales described the measures as draconian and making a mockery of devolution by failing to address Welsh concerns and needs. The legislation will mean the phasing across Wales of what are effectively EU rules currently in place in intensively farmed areas - designate the whole of Wales as an EU nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ), an area more than 40 times bigger than the current Welsh NVZ area, and 11 times bigger than what was recommended by NRW.