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Welsh farmers mount Colwyn Bay tractor demo

Philip Case 23 February 2024
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© Gareth Wyn Jones© Gareth Wyn Jones

Welsh farmers have taken to the roads in their tractors again to show their opposition to Welsh government policies which they fear will ruin their livelihoods.

About 40 tractors staged a “go-slow” protest around roads in Llandudno, Old Colwyn and Colywn Bay on Thursday 22 February.

The protest was timed to coincide with a visit by first minister Mark Drakefor to Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, Rhyl, where he opened a new engineering building.

See also: Angry Welsh farmers stage go-slow tractor protest

Mr Drakeford has come under fire from farming groups, including the Country Land and Business Association, for blaming Brexit-voting farmers for Welsh ministers having to draw up their own farm subsidy proposals.

One dairy farmer, based near Llandudno, who took part in protest in Colwyn, said: “I’m out here protesting today for my future and the future of Welsh farming.

“I don’t agree with the new rules that are coming forwards. At home, we farm 200 acres and we’ve just bought another 100 acres these past two years.

“With these new rules that are coming in now, I’ve got to give up 20% of that land to grow trees and look after biodiversity.

“So that’s 60 acres by 2030 based on their [Welsh government] agenda that I’ve got to take out of my system and I’ve got to pay for that land until I’m 56. That’s not fair.”

The farmer added: “It’s not just that, it’s [bovine] TB. Where are we going to be with more woodlands, more creatures, more badgers, more disease?

“But they [Welsh government] are not willing to tackle it. This problem will get more and more out of control.”

The latest waves of protests follow similar tractor demonstrations last week in Carmarthen and Pont Abraham, South Wales, and in Wrexham city, where the constituency office of Welsh rural affairs minister, Lesley Griffiths MS, is based.

Further farmer tractor protests are expected to take place in Wales next week.

Sunak visit

Prime minister Rishi Sunak told Welsh farmers gathered outside the Welsh Conservatives annual party conference on Friday 23 February “we have got your back”.

The PM also posted a tweet saying: “British farmers – you are the lifeblood of this nation. Keir Starmer’s Labour don’t get it. But I will never stop fighting for you.”

Meanwhile, a farmer petition which urges the Welsh government to scrap its plans for Universal Actions and payment reductions in the proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) has attracted almost 14,000 signatures.

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