Welsh Agriculture Bill to be revamped to support farm viability

A number of amendments to ensure Welsh farms remain viable look set to be made to Wales’ Agriculture Bill, though farm unions say they don’t go far enough.

The Welsh government is proposing to amend its bill, which is structured around the principles of sustainable land management, to reflect a need for farming families and rural communities to be economically viable.

See also: Tenant farmers to get legal rights to access Welsh agri-scheme

When a draft of the bill was published in September last year, it came under fire as not being “fit for purpose’’ because it ignored the principle of economic resilience, giving priority instead to the environment and to culture.

The government has since gone back to the drawing board and has now tabled amendments which make the resilience of agricultural businesses a factor to directing support at the sustainable production of food and goods.

Minister for rural affairs Lesley Griffiths said additional text would be added to the section on food production.

Although producing food in an environmentally sustainable way is still the first principle, the proposed new wording would state that it should be done in a manner that helps rural communities to thrive, strengthens the links between agricultural businesses and their communities, and improves the resilience of agricultural businesses.

“The amendments support the resilience of agricultural business through enabling an effective, efficient, sustainable and, therefore, profitable production base and supply chain, which links back to the farmer,” said Ms Griffiths.

Reaction

While the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) said it was a “welcome move” it pointed out that the term “economic” is conspicuously absent.

Both it and NFU Cymru want a “distinct” sustainable land management objective included in the bill “specifically for safeguarding the agricultural economy and the community and livelihoods that rely on it”.

Doing this, said the FUW’s president Glyn Roberts, “would not detract from the environmental and other aspirations of the bill which we are fully supportive of”.