Unions demanding consultation clarity
Wales’ farming unions have been expressing their concerns over the Welsh Government’s “super-consultation” on management of the countryside.
Members of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) discussed the proposals, published earlier this summer, at their September Grand Council.
They asked in particular why a large number of far-reaching proposals had been bundled into a single document.
Now the FUW is to submit a Freedom of Information request to the Welsh Government asking to see all correspondence between the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) relating to the consultation.
FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “The title of the consultation seems innocuous enough, but hides more than 50 proposals, many of which are highly contentious for a broad range of stakeholders.
“We have therefore now submitted the Freedom of Information request to Welsh Government and hope that the response will provide necessary clarity.”
The Taking Forward Wales’ Sustainable Management of Natural Resources consultation covers areas as diverse as forestry, public access to land and waterways, fishing, drainage, agriculture and wildlife.
Some examples of the proposals in the document include allowing mountain bikes on all public footpaths, allowing people to camp and play games wherever they want on open-access land, reducing the circumstances in which public safety can be protected when trees become rotten and dangerous, and on-thespot fines for the drivers of cars from which litter is thrown.
Mr Roberts added: “What makes it worse is that stakeholders were given no indication whatsoever that such a wide-reaching consultation was to be issued.
“Many of the individual proposals would previously have also been dealt with in individual consultations, rather than being ‘packaged’ in a single massive collection of proposals with such an innocent title.
“After all, changing every footpath in Wales into a cycle path or bridleway would represent a massive change to centuries of established law regarding rights of way. Surely, such a proposal should at the very least demand its own document, rather than being buried as ‘Proposal 10’ on page 44 of a 98-page document,” added Mr Roberts.
The FUW is urging members to respond to the consultation before the September 30 deadline via their local county office to ensure their views are incorporated in the union’s officials response to the proposals.
The NFU has also expressed concern over the consultation. In July NFU Cymru Rural Affairs Board chair Hedd Pugh said: “From the title of the consultation, its significance would not be immediately apparent.
“However, from closer examination of Welsh Government proposals, it is clear that the content is highly relevant to our sector and will be deeply worrying for our members.
“In our view, many of the chapters merit separate consultation in their own right and it is disappointing that Welsh Government has opted to bundle them together in this way.
He added: “Overall, NFU Cymru is very disappointed that Welsh Government seems fixed on achieving the objective of the sustainable management of natural resources via costly regulation of farm businesses.
“We are clear that the new legislative framework and ways of working presents the opportunity for the industry to work with Welsh Government and NRW on the development of voluntary, partnership approaches that deliver better outcomes for farming, the environment and society.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The purpose of the consultation is to gain a better understanding of stakeholder views on a more modern, streamlined and effective regulatory framework. By bringing proposals together into one consultation we are delivering exactly what our stakeholders asked for – a more joined-up approach.”