Wales ‘getting left behind’ on farm tenant policy

A post-Brexit decision by former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford not to boost the capacity of the civil service has left Wales falling behind England on the development of farm tenant policy, according to the Tenant Farmers Association.

Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) chief executive George Dunn pointed out that the tenant and landlord code of practice, the Farm Tenancy Forum and a proposed tenant farming commissioner were all England-only measures.

He has urged the Welsh government to set out a plan for how it is going to deliver on its devolved responsibilities.

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Mr Dunn said: “The problem Welsh government has got is capacity.

“They would say in their hearts they are keen to do more, but practically speaking, without proper resource they are going to struggle.

“The real issue is that the previous first minister, Mark Drakeford, didn’t take the opportunity to ramp up the capacity of the Welsh government in light of the Brexit vote.

“Welsh government almost carried on as if Brexit never happened, whereas Defra ramped up the number of people they had significantly.

“This goes back further than the current budget crisis, but that of course won’t help.”

Last week, the Welsh cabinet secretary for rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, responded to a series of written questions from Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffyd, on whether the Welsh government was considering introducing a code of practice and tenant farming commissioner.

He said the government had considered the recommendations, but so far concentrated on areas identified as priorities by stakeholders, such as introducing new dispute resolution procedures for farm business tenancies.

“My officials, who maintain regular contact with their UK government counterparts, are now assessing the relevance and potential impact of the remaining recommendations within a Welsh context,” he added.