James Evans fears rural Wales is facing “potential devastation”.
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS said at the Senedd that he was opening a debate on the Welsh Government’s proposed sustainable farming scheme “with a heavy heart”.
He said the scheme, in its current form, threatens “the very fabric of our communities”.
(Video from Senedd.tv)
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS said at the Senedd that he was opening a debate on the Welsh Government’s proposed sustainable farming scheme “with a heavy heart”.
He said the scheme, in its current form, threatens “the very fabric of our communities”.
(Video from Senedd.tv)
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00:00 Presiding Officer, I move the motion tabled in the name of my colleague Dara Miller.
00:05 Today I stand to open this debate with a very heavy heart, burdened by the potential devastation
00:11 facing rural Wales. The Welsh Government's proposed sustainable farming scheme in its
00:16 current form threatens the very fabric of our communities. It threatens the fabric of
00:21 our farmers, our families, our friends and the whole of rural Wales. The Welsh Government's
00:29 owned commissioned impact assessment figures paint a grim picture. Five and a half thousand
00:35 job losses, 122,000 livestock units lost and, to top it all off, a staggering £199 million
00:43 loss to the economy. Those numbers, I quote, aren't mere statistics. They represent real
00:51 people, real families and I'm not talking alarmist nonsense, as our First Minister indicated
00:59 to me last week. This is the Welsh Government's own commissioned impact assessment. These
01:06 impacts are the concerns from seasoned farmers to the bright eyes of our young farmers and
01:11 the wider associated businesses. The sustainable farming scheme in its current form casts a
01:17 long shadow of uncertainty and unworkability for many farming businesses in Wales. At the
01:24 heart of our anxieties lies the potential erosion of the very foundation of rural communities.
01:30 The projected decline in farm income due to reduced output and increased compliance costs
01:35 threatens the livelihoods of countless families who have dedicated generations to stewarding
01:40 the land. This economic anxiety extends far beyond the farm gate. The potential widespread
01:46 job losses across the entire agricultural sector would ripple through the very fabric
01:51 of our communities, impacting agricultural supply chains, local businesses and the overall
01:57 economy of Wales. One element which worries me and my group hugely in the current sustainable
02:04 farming scheme proposal is the potential threat to the very food security of Wales. The projected
02:11 reduction in livestock numbers, particularly sheep, would impact our own nation's food
02:15 security. This decline, coupled with a potential decrease in agricultural output, could lead
02:21 to an increased resilience on food imports, compromising quality and environmental standards.
02:28 Our farmers in Wales produce the best food in the world, and they should be rewarded
02:34 properly for doing that. It is often quoted by Ministers that the sustainable farming
02:40 scheme has been seven years in the making. However, this final draft has come as a shock
02:45 to many in the sector, including the farming unions and those farmers who sat on the co-design
02:51 groups. The tree planting and habitat targets are unworkable and were asked to be removed,
02:58 and some of the universal actions are downright insulting to farmers, and it will force many
03:04 of them off the land or become reliant on bureaucrats or consultants. That's something
03:10 none of us want to see. This has been evidented by the unprecedented numbers that have attended
03:17 the consultation events up and down Wales. It is testament to the strength of feeling
03:23 that the farming unions are working together on this, and I think the numbers coming to
03:28 Cardiff Bay today are a plea to the Welsh Government to listen to their concerns and
03:33 to start being a friend to rural Wales. I am pleased that the Minister and First Minister
03:40 have met with farming representatives and the unions. Yesterday, you published a joint
03:46 statement outlining the next steps and some announcements in areas where the Welsh Government
03:51 is looking to make changes in regard to TB, nitrate-vulnerable zones and the sustainable
03:57 farming scheme itself. The response from the farming unions has been positive, but warm
04:03 words, Minister, will only go so far, and actions to address the defects in the sustainable
04:09 farming scheme and in certain policies are what are needed from this Government to reassure
04:14 the farming community that you are listening. Farmers are not adverse to change. They have
04:21 adapted over years to many of the Welsh Government's schemes, such as Tiagofel, Glastir, woodland
04:27 creation schemes and different types of habitat schemes that have come out from the Government.
04:32 These schemes in the past have delivered the conservation benefits and carried out the
04:37 asks that the Welsh Government has told them to do. The environmental actions in the sustainable
04:42 farming scheme can only be brought about with the co-operation of our farmers. It is essential
04:49 that the Welsh Government work with farmers to make a scheme that is workable, achievable,
04:54 and one that will ensure that our farmers keep farming.
04:58 One element that is very important to me and to many Members is the mental health of our
05:03 farmers. Rural mental health charities have been ringing off the hook, with people who
05:09 are seriously concerned about their future and their mental health being detrimented.
05:16 I want to say to those farmers, if there is anybody listening out there, do not suffer
05:20 in silence at home alone. Seek out help and support, because the rural communities across
05:26 Wales will support you. Let us not underestimate the seriousness of
05:32 this situation. We stand at a crossroads. Does this current Welsh Government pursue
05:38 a path paved with job losses and economic hardship, or do we together find a way and
05:44 a solution that safeguards our rural communities and our environment, and, more importantly,
05:50 our farmers? I urge the Welsh Government to listen to the cries of the farmers outside
05:55 and across Wales, engage in an open dialogue, acknowledge their concerns and work collectively
06:01 to refine the sustainable farming scheme. I would like to say to everybody in this Chamber
06:07 that a sustainable future does not come at the cost of rural communities. We need a balanced
06:13 approach, one that protects the environment while nurturing the economy.
06:19 Together we can build a Wales that thrives, where environmental responsibility goes hand
06:24 in hand with vibrant farming communities. I urge every Member in this Chamber today
06:31 to do the right thing for our farmers and rural Wales. Support our motion. Be the friend
06:37 that farmers and our rural communities need. This is our chance—our chance—to send
06:44 a clear message to the people of rural Wales that we are on your side and we in this Chamber
06:50 are your friend.