Chance to hear concerns uture ofWelsh agriculture
should be maintained at levels which at least reflect those levels which would have been in place should the UK have voted to remain in the European Union.
However, there is an understanding among farmers that a bonfire of regulations is unlikely and future support may well look very different to what is currently provided under the Common Agricultural Policy.
Nerys Edwards, the FUW’s county executive officer assistant in Carmarthen, said: “There will be a lot of changes and that will of course also affect the amount of financial support we can expect. There is a lot of uncertainty around, with more questions to be asked than we have answers to, and of course we are all still waiting to see what a future Defra green paper on the future of farming will look like.
“It is obvious to us that we could be waiting a while for that clarity, and in essence that is not a bad thing because the industry will need to have a transition period of at least 10 years to phase in changes and to allow us to adjust to new agricultural policies.
“What is essential in all of this, however, is that the uniqueness of Welsh agriculture and the importance of involving the devolved administrations in planning the future of agriculture is recognised by everyone.”
FUW deputy president Brian Thomas used the opportunity to raise the issue of bovine TB with the Labour AM. When Brian’s herd went down with the disease in the late 1990s, he commented in interviews that the disease would be more of a problem than BSE would ever be if it was not tackled.
Currently he sits on the local working group for the Assembly’s bovine TB intensive action area in north Pembrokeshire, representing farmers in the area.
Mr Thomas said: “Our Welsh farmers suffer the daily emotional and financial consequences of having their businesses locked down for months on end by movement restrictions. They see their cattle taken away or culled on farm, year in, year out, and they are angry with the Welsh Government.
“Not just because of their latest proposal to escalate what are already the most restrictive cattle TB rules in the world, but because of the failure to include solid proposals to proactively deal with the disease reservoir in badgers.”
He added that farmers fear that personal views and political cowardice on the part of politicians will continue to slow down TB eradication, as every excuse is used to avoid action.
“The situation would be bad enough under normal circumstances, but with Brexit looming, competitors in other countries have one eye on our TB status and how it might be used to their benefit – and our detriment – in trade negotiations,” added Mr Thomas.
“Over the coming weeks Cabinet Secretary Lesley Griffiths will consider whether to implement the Welsh Government’s proposals and we are all hoping that our concerns will be taken into consideration.
“While Welsh Government statements that badgers may be culled when sufficient proof has been gathered hints at light at the end of the tunnel, we have made it clear that failure to be robust and ensure such measures can be rolled out rapidly and on a large enough scale will delay eradication by decades, while prolonging the expense and torment for farming families,” added Mr Thomas.