‘No wholesale changes’ to farming subsidy plan
THE new man in charge of farming in Wales has insisted “there will be no wholesale changes” to a controversial policy which saw protesting farmers descend on the Senedd in their thousands.
The Welsh Government-designed scheme to replace EU subsidies for farmers is deeply unpopular.
A consultation by the Welsh Government over its Sustainable Farming
Scheme (SFS) saw 12,000 people respond, the largest response it has ever had.
In his first interview since being appointed as climate change and rural affairs secretary by new First Minister Vaughan Gething, Huw IrrancaDavies,
said the “hot topic” of the sustainable farming scheme needed dealing with in a “concerted way”.
“I think our approach there has to be first of all saying to farmers we genuinely, really truly are listening and engaging with them, but also wildlife and environmental groups and wider stakeholders,” he said.
“The first meeting that Vaughan Gething did, the first formal meeting, was myself and the heads of the farmers’ union within days of me being appointed. It was a signal moment because it said, ‘we do get the fact you do have concerns over knotty areas within the SFS.’”
At a press conference earlier yesterday, the First Minister said his government would show farmers “we are on their side” – something echoed by Mr Irranca-Davies.
“I think it’s a reality of, after seven years of discussions, and several iterations of consultations, we’ve still got to a point where, on particular parts of the SFS – and it’s not the whole – there are knotty things we still haven’t resolved,” he said.
“It’s not that there isn’t a will to do it, or there wasn’t before. You always
get to a point, particularly when we’ve been through this trajectory that we went onto when we withdrew from the European Union, we had to fashion not only a different future postCommon Agricultural Policy but a better future that not only rewards farmers for the food production they do but food security they deliver, but also responds to what are genuine nature and climate emergencies.
“We were bound to get to a place where, as we get close to the final points of discussion and consultations, there were some knotty issues that needed to be ironed out.”
But Mr Irranca-Davies denied the stalemate was inevitable.
“It wasn’t inevitable, but it happens and it’s happened in other areas before. Part of my role, coming in now, is undoubtedly to listen.
“It’s an easy word to use, but it is genuinely listening, but on the basis that as with that first meeting the First Minister and I had with union leaders, we’re agreed the framework is a good, sound framework. The objectives are the right objectives, we’re no different. Within it, there are two or three things we need to pick at, engage a lot more heavily and rapidly.”
Mr Irranca-Davies said he would be “surprised” if there were not some changes to the SFS, but there would not be “wholesale changes or retreat”.
Asked about the amount of land the policy would require farmers give over to tree planting, a major cause of farmers’ concern, he said: “That’s one of the knotty areas, but not the only one. I’m not going to pre-empt on what we’re now going to intensively engage on with farmers, but wider stakeholders as well, to see which ways, what ideas they have, to resolve some of these.”
Mr Irranca-Davies would also not commit to a timescale to respond to the 12,000 consultation responses the Welsh Government had received.
“They won’t have to wait long,” he said.
“We’re not signalling we’re kicking this into the long grass, we’re not delaying forever and a day, as some people have asked for. Some have even said ‘scrap it and start again.’
“The very worst thing for farmers would be if we say we’re scrapping it or starting again or fundamentally rewriting what we’ve done. We’ve the timetable we have, in the next few weeks we’ll be bringing forward proposals on dealing with those knotty issues, the process we’re going through and timescales as well. You’ll have to hold on a little, but not too long. What farmers need is certainty and need to know they’re not going to have a government that’s going to throw everything up in the air again.”
He added: “On the SFS, we will work through them together. I am convinced we can get through it and in a timely way. We don’t want longrunning uncertainty for farmers.”
There had been criticism of Labour for not sending any politician to speak at February’s protest at the Senedd.
Asked why he didn’t attend, Mr Irranca-Davies said: “I’ve spoken to farmers before and after that protest and you’ll remember there was a different, silent demonstration with the wellingtons subsequently, which I went to and spoke to farmers at and we had good conversations. “There was some worry at the time from farmers themselves the first protest could have been used by others, not from the farming community, who were on the fringes of some of these debates, or not from them at all, and that would include some of those within those climate denial camps, and so on.
“I noticed and found it abhorrent when I watched on the news that evening, that one of the women farming leaders spoke raising concerns, but also saying ‘we as a union are standing up for those climate change imperatives we have, we need to do our bit’ and there were boos. There’s an interesting dilemma about how we work together.”
The former MP said there were methods in Westminster to invite delegations inside, for example, but that didn’t happen.
“We don’t seem to be easily set up to do that in the Senedd,” he said. “There may be other ones in future so how do you meet with constituents or leaders?”
Asked if he regretted not attending, now he holds this role, he replied: “No, because there were genuine worries at the time about who might be at it.”
Mr Irranca-Davies said he has spent the recess break reading up on areas in his portfolio, but something he says he has a background in when the former MP worked in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2007.
Mr Irranca-Davies says he didn’t expect the call from the First Minister offering him the job, but said he was “delighted, and somewhat surprised”. However, he said if there was a portfolio he wanted, it was this. “It combines the passions of mine, farming, natural environment, biodiversity, elements of the things like the circular
economy like the deposit-return scheme”.
The keen cyclist and canoeist said: “I might be what you call a green red politician. I have a long history within farming and rural issues.”
Born in Gowerton, Swansea, his first job was at the local mart. From the age of eight he would spend “days” being paid the equivalent of 50p herding sheep and cattle, getting them into trucks to the abattoir.
Mr Irranca-Davies denied that splitting the climate change portfolio into a number of ministries, opposed to the tactic by Mark Drakeford, the previous First Minister showed a move away from the green agenda. “No, not at all,” he said.
The Ogmore MS said there will be a commitment across all ministerial portfolios and it will be his role to ensure his colleagues are factoring that into all decisions. “We will be holding every minister to account,” he said.