In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.19 of
the Constitution, Councillor Dewi Jones will propose as follows:-
Cyngor Gwynedd declares its support to the agricultural sector and the
farmers of Wales.
The Council believes that Welsh farmers make an invaluable contribution
to our country's economy, the Welsh language, our culture
and heritage, and we need to support this important sector.
The Council calls on the Welsh Government to listen to the views and
concerns of farmers - and the farming unions - as they consult on new
legislation.
Minutes:
Submitted - the following notice of motion by
Councillor Dewi Jones, under Section 4.19 of the Constitution, and it was seconded:-
Cyngor Gwynedd declares its support to the
agricultural sector and the farmers of Wales.
The Council believes that Welsh farmers make an
invaluable contribution to our country's economy, the Welsh language, our culture and heritage, and we need to support this important
sector.
The Council calls on the Welsh Government to listen to
the views and concerns of farmers - and the farming unions - as they consult on
new legislation.
The member set the context to his proposal, and noted:-
·
That what was happening
to the agriculture industry affected everyone. He noted that we were reliant on
farmers every day for our milk, bread and meat. He
believed that receiving quality food and local food was essential.
·
He referred to the
largest ever protest that had reached the Senedd last week, with over 3,000
farmers travelling to Cardiff. He believed that the scheme in its current form
was not accessible or sustainable.
·
That the Government
needed to reconsider its intention to ask every farmer to give 10% of their
land in order to grow trees on it. It was expressed
that trees would not promote culture or the language. It was believed that
flexibility was needed in the proposal and that Welsh Government needed to
redesign the proposal. It was added that there was a need to amend the schemes to
reflect the landscape, the weather and the environment
in which the farmers worked.
Members expressed strong
support to the proposal and noted:-
·
That farmers had been
farming for generations, which proved the sustainability of the industry.
·
That the Council had
responded to the consultation and called on the Government to co-discuss with
the industry and to draw up appropriate plans for Wales and the countryside.
The Leader added that he had been involved in the discussions at the Rural
Forum, Local Government Association and that they had also responded in the
same way. The Leader expressed pride that the Council had already responded
robustly.
·
That this was a lesson
to the Welsh Government who did not understand the meaning of co-planning and
co-production.
·
That farmers were
prepared to contribute to the agenda to reduce carbon emissions and prepared to
contribute to biodiversity and already did so to a great degree.
·
That farmers knew their
lands better than anyone, and that the farmers had knowledge of what was
happening on their own landscape.
·
That the Senedd had
failed to mention the very strong possibility of losing 5,500 jobs in the
agriculture industry.
·
He reminded members of
the nightmare encountered during lockdown when some shelves were empty in
supermarkets. It was noted that NFU Cymru had recently noted that there was a
need to produce 25% more food by 2050.
·
That the agriculture industry
had used only a little more land to produce food than what they had used in
1960. It was believed that this showed that farmers had done their best and had
developed what they had.
·
That what had happened
in the Senedd was good in comparison to what had happened in France - everyone
was calm and respectful at the Senedd.
·
That families with
small farms would suffer most.
To close, the proposer took the opportunity to thank
the farmers for the work they already did to support the environment. He emphasised
that the role of farmers was essential as we continued to address the climate
change emergency. It was believed essential for the Government to work with
farmers when drawing up any new plans and the Welsh Government was called upon
to slow down and listen to farmers.
Criticism was expressed towards the Welsh Government
under the leadership of the Labour Party who created these plans; these were
not Senedd or devolution plans.