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Stricter regulation on the storage and spreading of farming slurry will help authorities deal with odour problems affecting residents, Caerphilly Senedd Member Hefin David has said.

The new rules, which come into effect on April 1, are designed to stop harmful nitrate pollutants from entering rivers.

It would require farmers to limit how much slurry they can spread and put limits on how often spreading can take place. Until now, there have been no limits on spreading.

The farming industry has widely criticised the regulations saying it will create economic burden for farmers – especially smaller ones – while environmental groups have welcomed them.

A motion to abolish the rules, was brought to the Senedd by Plaid Cymru but was voted down by Labour Senedd members on March 2.

Speaking in the Senedd in support of the regulations, Caerphilly MS Hefin David said that the majority of the people of Gelligaer, Penybryn, Ystrad Mynach and Nelson wanted “more farming regulations, not fewer” in dealing with long-standing odour problems from nearby Gelliargwellt Farm.

He added: “When I’ve raised concerns in the past with the regulator Natural Resources Wales, they’ve said, ‘There’s a strong and offensive odour in Gelligaer, we haven’t got the powers to deal with this.’

“When I spoke to NRW, last week, they said that these new regulations will give them the powers they need.

“People in Gelligaer, Penybryn, Nelson, Ystrad Mynach have suffered too long and it is the regulations that are at fault. We need stronger regulations in those circumstances. I have seen problems at first hand in my community and I have to support these regulations.”

Issues surrounding Gelliargwellt Farm have previously been raised in the Senedd by Plaid Cymru MS Delyth Jewell, who voted against the regulations.

This has upset local Labour councillors.

St Cattwg Ward councillors Wynne David, Carmen Bezzina and Ann Gair said in a joint statement: “We are appalled that Plaid Cymru, knowing full well the misery faced by residents in Gelligaer and Penybryn, tried to remove controls on the Gelliargwellt Farm. The history of odour problems in the area has been long documented.

“NRW themselves called the smell ‘strong and offensive’ in a liaison committee meeting some years ago. A huge dairy farm next to homes needs monitoring and regulation and these rules to limit slurry are overdue. We are glad that they were passed despite these attempts by Plaid.”

Caerphilly Observer asked Ms Jewell’s office why she voted against them and received the following statement.

A spokesperson on behalf of Plaid Cymru said: “Plaid Cymru supports the introducing of regulations to tackle pollution and bad practice which impacts on local residents. Any suggestion to the contrary is just not true.

“The problems with the specific regulations introduced by the Labour Government stem from the fact that they are a lazy cut and paste of regulations developed 30 years ago, which ignore the advice of Natural Resources Wales – its own environmental advisory body.

“Plaid Cymru supports a more sophisticated and targeted approach that would tackle pollution incidents without risking new environmental problems.”