LIVESTOCK FARMERS SPEAK OUT IN ECO ROW

ENVIRONMENTAL concerns about livestock farming and its contribution to global warming has led to farmers in Wales standing up to tell their stories.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ campaign Guardians of the Welsh Land aims to address what the FUW insists are misleading claims by various groups about the role livestock farming plays in relation to climate change.

Launching the campaign, FUW deputy president Ian Rickman said: “The FUW has consistently recognised the threat represented by climate change and the need to take action. This is clear from a cursory look at our manifestos and policy documents published over the past 20 years.

“We know that farming is already responsible for a critical carbon resource in soils, woodland and semi-natural habitats and I’m pleased to launch the FUW’s environment campaign, Guardians of the Welsh Land, from my home farm here in Carmarthenshire today. As farmers are the most trusted link in the supply chain, they are best placed to communicate their stories, helping to address consumer concerns and influencing political agendas. Members can also look forward to a variety of webinars, which will focus on the different challenges ahead for the industry.

“There is no question in our mind that we need to counteract the continuation by the anti-farming lobby of their campaign to vilify and belittle domestic food producers. These attacks are corrosive and grossly misleading, negatively influencing consumer perception of the industry and influencing political agendas on a global scale.”

Mr Rickman added that 2021 is an important year for these types of conversations.

“Knocking on our door are the United Nations Food Systems Summit and COP26. The FUW has been engaging with these conversations and shares some concerns with other industries about the wider narrative and ambitions set out in inconspicuous-looking documents. Plans we and the public don’t support. Telling the positive story of the guardians of our Welsh land is now more important than ever,” he said.

Starting this week, the campaign introduces four farmers, all of whom tell the story of how they are addressing environmental and climate change needs: Carmarthenshire organic sheep farmer Phil Jones, the Roberts family from Meirionnydd, Ceredigion dairy farmers Lyn and Lowri Thomas and FUW president Glyn Roberts, who farms with his daughter Beca at Dylasau Uchaf in Snowdonia.