Welsh farmers stage tractor protest outside Lesley Griffiths’ office
© @1GarethWynJones Protesting farmers have taken their action against Welsh government policy reforms to the doorstep of rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths, with a noisy convoy of tractors parked outside her constituency office in Wrexham.
After large demonstrations in Welshpool and Carmarthen, on Monday (12 February) it was the turn of North Wales farmers to express their anger at changes to government support and new regulations.
Farmers drove their tractors to Ms Griffiths’ office and blared their horns, while those on foot had a clear message for her, holding “No Farmers, No Food” placards.
See also: Welsh farmers use coffin to warn of death of industry at demo
It is not known whether the minister was at her office when the protest took place on Monday afternoon.
Since last week’s meeting at Carmarthen Livestock Mart, Mrs Griffiths has invited the presidents of Wales’ two farming unions, NFU Cymru and the Farmers’ Union of Wales, to what is described as an “urgent” meeting to discuss the concerns of Welsh farmers and rural businesses.
NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said it was clear the proposals laid out in the current Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) consultation were causing a “deep sense of anguish and concern”.
Farmers are also voicing their anger at new Wales-wide water quality regulations and what they see as an unfair TB eradication policy which they say ignores the wildlife vector for the disease.
See the tractors on their way to the protest in this video on Gareth Wyn Jones’ X feed.
Farmers are feeling frustrated pic.twitter.com/OpDTR4Qo0S
— Gareth Wyn Jones (@1GarethWynJones) February 12, 2024
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “The Sustainable Farming Scheme aims to secure food production systems, keep farmers farming the land, safeguard the environment, and address the urgent call of the climate and nature emergency.
“We have run an extensive co-design exercise in developing the SFS and we thank the hundreds of farmers who have been involved.
“The final consultation on the scheme is still open and we encourage everyone to reply with their views by 7 March. No final decision will be taken on the scheme until after the consultation has taken place, and we will listen carefully to all views.”
North Wales Police said a man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage following the protest in Wrexham city.
Dover protest
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting in England too.
About 30 tractors protested in Dover on Friday night (9 February) against “cheap” imports, and a meeting is planned in Canterbury for Tuesday evening (13 February) to decide on a course of action.
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