In accordance with the Notice of Motion received under Section 4.20 of
the Constitution, Councillor Paul Rowlinson will propose as follows:-
The Council expresses concern about the
Welsh Government’s proposals, “Brexit and our land: Securing the future of
Welsh farming”.
The Council welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment, outlined in its
consultation document, to support farm businesses to be more competitive. The
Council also supports the intention to provide financial support in recognition
of the incalculable additional value that farming provides to rural areas and
to Wales as a whole.
However, the Council opposes the Welsh Government’s current proposals,
that could undermine the viability of our rural communities and damage the
landscape, society and linguistic profile of Wales.
The Council therefore supports the Leader’s response to the consultation
on behalf of the Council setting forth the following requirements:
• to provide a stable environment for farm businesses as they adapt
to the inevitable changes in market conditions post Brexit by maintaining the
current structure of direct funding to farms for as long as appropriate, with
the exception of measures to simplify the administration of the current system;
• to only proceed with any changes after this period on the basis
of detailed research and modelling at a sufficiently small spatial level to
ensure that they result in positive outcomes for farmers, the rural economy and
communities and the Welsh language, with due consideration of differing land
uses;
• to include support to maintain food production as a core
component of any future system of payments and ensure that any funding provided
in recognition of the wider value farming provides is additional and broadly
defined to reflect the economic, social and cultural value of farming as well
as its role in protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
• to guarantee that support is only provided to those who actively
work on and manage the land, with a focus on small and medium family farms;
• to provide ring-fenced money for investment in rural development,
especially to support projects responding to the economic challenges facing
rural Wales. This funding should be directed to those areas where the economic
impact of peripherality is greatest.
Minutes:
(1) Submitted
- the following notice of motion by Councillor Paul Rowlinson, in accordance
with Section 4.20 of the Constitution and it was seconded:-
"The Council
expresses concern about the Welsh Government’s proposals, “Brexit and our land:
Securing the future of Welsh farming”.
The Council
welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment, outlined in its consultation
document, to support farm businesses to be more competitive. The Council also supports
the intention to provide financial support in recognition of the incalculable
additional value that farming provides to rural areas and to Wales as a whole.
However, the
Council opposes the Welsh Government’s current proposals, that could undermine
the viability of our rural communities and damage the landscape, society and
linguistic profile of Wales.
The Council
therefore supports the Leader’s response to the consultation on behalf of the
Council setting forth the following requirements:
·
to
provide a stable environment for farm businesses as they adapt to the
inevitable changes in market conditions post Brexit by maintaining the current
structure of direct funding to farms for as long as appropriate, with the
exception of measures to simplify the administration of the current system.
·
to
only proceed with any changes after this period on the basis of detailed
research and modelling at a sufficiently small spatial level to ensure that
they result in positive outcomes for farmers, the rural economy and communities
and the Welsh language, with due consideration of differing land uses;
·
to
include support to maintain food production as a core component of any future
system of payments and ensure that any funding provided in recognition of the
wider value farming provides is additional and broadly defined to reflect the
economic, social and cultural value of farming as well as its role in
protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
·
to
guarantee that support is only provided to those who actively work on and
manage the land, with a focus on small and medium family farms.
·
to
provide ring-fenced money for investment in rural development, especially to
support projects responding to the economic challenges facing rural Wales. This
funding should be directed to those areas where the economic impact of
peripherality is greatest."
Members noted the following observations –
·
Although the 'Brexit and our Land' document
initially seemed to be well thought out; reading on, however, it actually contained
very few details. There was concern
about the effect Brexit would have on smaller farmers and hill farmers,
especially from understanding that farmers would have to compete for funding
with other bodies within the field of environmental protection. Farmers, especially those who ran smaller
farms and hill farms, were already under pressure and there was no desire to
see that increasing. Also, although the
document acknowledged the contribution farmers made to our society, it did not
address this correctly.
·
Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council were killing
off small farms by refusing to allow young people to build houses on family
farms. Nevertheless, permission was
being granted to those who wished to convert barns and cow-sheds into visitor
accommodation and so on.
·
The
proposal did not tell the whole story as Central Government had had schemes in
place to help farmers since the end of the Second World War. Some farmers also received £250,000 a year in
grant money. This did not help small and
medium sized farmers, and 90% of the grant that came to Wales went to fund
fewer than 10% of them. There was a
desire to see the sum that large farms received being capped, and whilst
accepting that Welsh Government intended to revisit the plan, this also needed
to be reviewed.
·
It was more difficult for hill farmers as they had
no choice but to farm sheep, in contrast to lowland farmers who could milk and
who were able to diversify, e.g. grow crops.
RESOLVED to adopt
the motion.