Farmers unite in Government plea

Farming bodies in Wales have united in one unprecedented open letter to plea for the Welsh Government to offer emergency aid to an industry crippled by the recent snow and cold blast.

Thousands of livestock have been lost, threatening the livelihoods of many with the country’s food chain drastically hit.

And now, the heads of the FUW, NFU, CLA Wales and Wales YFC have today signed the following letter to Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources & Food at the Welsh Assembly Government.

Dear Minister,

The gravity of the position on some farms in Wales following the blizzard conditions experienced in the third week of March and those which have since been endured is such that we, as leaders of the undersigned organisations, are taking this unprecedented move of writing this open letter to you as the Minister for Natural Resources and Food.

Whilst we do not underestimate the value of direct EU support under the CAP pillar 1 measure to the farming industry in Wales and elsewhere which underpins the production of affordable, safe food produced to world leading standards in terms of the environment and welfare and which helps the industry to cope with the fact that market prices do not always cover production costs, it is not designed to address nor does it adequately compensate for the quite extraordinary and devastating consequences of last month’s weather which is having a dire effect on those businesses affected in Wales.

We readily acknowledge that devolution has generally had a positive impact on Welsh agriculture and that policy in Wales needs to be designed and implemented to meet our particular needs and circumstances but this does not stop us from looking at the actions of other Governments both in other parts of the UK and within the EU.  The Governments of Northern Ireland and Scotland have both already committed to significant financial packages in addition to the support that hill and upland farmers receive under their dedicated LFA support schemes.  The RPA in England have expedited payments to recipients of their Uplands Transitional Scheme as a result of the weather.

In Wales, Welsh Government appears to have closed the door on emergency aid even before knowing the full extent of the losses which continue to mount on some farms as the snow recedes, the Welsh Government argument being that there are “fundamental differences” to the losses sustained in Wales relative to other parts of the UK.

From our perspectives, the losses that have been sustained on some farms in Wales are no different to those in Scotland, Northern Ireland or England and are such in some instances to threaten business viability.  The heavy loss of stock has been a harrowing experience for those affected and have left the farmers concerned drained not just financially but emotionally too.  Such losses have compounded the dramatic fall in farm incomes already seen in statistics produced by Welsh Government.

These farmers need evidence that Welsh Government cares about their plight.  They are not seeking to be advantaged as a result of the exceptional circumstances they have had to endure but they do look to Welsh Government to provide parity of treatment with others suffering similar consequences in other parts of the UK and do not expect to be placed at a disadvantage when it comes to recognition of the hardship they face.

We, the undersigned, would urge Welsh Government to recognise and commit to emergency aid to mitigate the financial hardship of those that have been worst affected by the events of recent weeks.

Yours Sincerely,

Chairman                     President         President         Chair
CLA Wales                 FUW               NFU Cymru    Wales YFC