A MEMBER of the Senedd (MS) has backed farmers as they put some welly behind their campaign to get the Welsh Government to change its controversial farm subsidy plans.
Llyr Gruffydd, who is Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs has praised the display of 5,500 pairs of wellies created by NFU Cymru members on the steps of the Senedd.
Mr Gruffydd, who represents North Wales in the Senedd, is urging Welsh Labour ministers to take heed of the “powerful statement”.
Each of the 5,500 wellingtons represents an agricultural job that could be lost based on 100% take up of the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Those figures are from the Welsh Government’s own impact assessment.
The proposals would require farmers to secure 10% tree cover on their land and 10% for wildlife habitat.
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Llyr Gruffydd MS said: “The Welsh farming community has made a powerful statement outside the Senedd and I urge Labour ministers to listen carefully to what farmers are saying.
“The 5,500 wellies lined up on the steps of our national parliament is a stark reminder of just what is at stake for our famers here in Wales.
“They poignantly represent the potential job losses in the agricultural sector if the Government gets this wrong. The 5,500 job loss figure has come out of the Welsh Government’s own impact assessment. Job losses of this scale would have a devastating impact on rural communities in Wales.
“Plaid Cymru is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with thousands of farmers from across Wales to demand fairness and a sustainable future for the Welsh family farm.
“We have been urging everyone to respond to the Government consultation on its proposals for the Sustainable Farming Scheme which has now come to a close.
“We are urging the Welsh Government to take a step back and to review the Sustainable Farming Scheme so that an alternative approach can be develop that works for both farmers and the environment.
“The Government should be in absolutely no doubt that the current proposals do not achieve Wales’s climate change ambitions in a way that also delivers a sustainable future for our family farms.”
Last month, around 20 tractors and 15 pick-up trucks parked up outside Rural Affairs minister Lesley Griffiths' office in Wrexham.
And, just this week, 'go-slow' demonstrations have been held on the A494 and the A55 as farmers continue to send their message to the government.
The consultation on the Welsh Government scheme farmers are protesting against ended this week.
If it's given the go-ahead it will come into effect next year.
It aims to reward farmers for sustainable food production and climate-friendly practices, with farmers set to be eligible for the new payments only if 10 per cent of their land is planted with trees and 10 per cent is managed as wildlife habitat.
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