Drought help plea for farmers
WALES must follow Scotland’s lead and offer financial help to farmers hit by the summer drought, a Plaid AM believes.
Arfon AM Siân Gwenllian spoke out after visiting a farmer in her constituency who has been blighted by the dry weather and who may struggle to feed his animals this winter.
Pyrs Owen Jones, of Bod Garad, near Rhostryfan, Caernarfon, was hit by the late spring, which forced him to use up his forage reserves.
Since then he has been unable to replenish his stocks, leaving him fearful for the months ahead.
“This time last year I had harvested 400 big bales of silage,” he said. “But this year I only managed to harvest 225 and I’ve already used 50 of them.
“I won’t have any choice but to sell the livestock sooner than anticipated – and hope to get a fair price.”
With farm support payments not due until the end of the year, it’s feared some producers may face a cashflow crisis as they struggle to source enough winter feed for their livestock.
To mitigate the problem, the Scottish Government has launched a scheme offering loans at up to 90% of what recipients are due from their 2018 Basic Payment.
Siân Gwenllian now wants Cardiff to follow suit.
“The Welsh Government has an obligation to ensure our farms are properly supported,” she said.
Gwynedd Watkin, the FUW’s Caernarfon CEO, said farmers like Mr Jones were facing a double whammy.
“Not only will his costs increase over the next few months, his income will suffer as he won’t be able to take sheep on tack over winter,” he said.