New direction for agriculture in Wales
AS I write this column, the ground outside is covered with the first of this winter’s frost and the central heating has been turned on.
British Summer Time has gone with the hour being ‘turned back’ and cattle are starting to be housed all across the county.
On another potentially frosty subject, the window to respond to the Welsh Government’s Brexit and Our Land consultation will have closed by the time you are reading this.
It has been a hectic time for all concerned with our NFU Cymru Carmarthenshire county advisor Aled Davies and our group secretaries encouraging members, and non-members, to respond in their droves.
It makes me extremely proud to see how successful they have been in securing hundreds of valuable and credible responses.
The decisions that Welsh Government will make following this consultation will shape the future of our farming practices and rural life for years to come. When all is said and done, the upcoming decisions around a new domestic agricultural policy will impact everyone in the rural community, farmer and nonfarmer alike.
In Wales, primary producers operate in a vulnerable and volatile agricultural sector with a low level of profitability in respect to other industries.
Yet this sector delivers the greatest contribution to and influence over, the natural environment and the rural economy.
All the evidence shows that the beef and lamb sectors are unquestionably the most dependent on agricultural support, and for this reason, there must be clarity on future domestic agricultural policy for these producers at the earliest possible opportunity.
I believe that this new policy development represents a significant opportunity to set a new agenda and direction for agriculture and primary production in Wales, and it should not be wasted.
It is worrying to note, however, that this consultation is being conducted whilst the outcome of the EU/UK Brexit negotiations and potential trade deal is unclear.
I would therefore suggest that there must be caution in the design and flexibility of delivery of any new domestic agricultural policy to respond to the different kind of outcomes that may emerge, including the withdrawal agreement, future trading relationship and a ‘no deal’ scenario.
All the above is completely insignificant compared to the tragic news of the accidental death of a young boy on one of our Carmarthenshire farms last week.
The pain and sadness felt by the immediate family and the local community must be unimaginable, and we all extend our deepest sympathies.