Shadow Wales Secretary given farming insight on visit to Clwyd

Cheryl Gillan, the Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Wales has visited two farms in Clwyd to meet with local farmers and hear their concerns for the industry.

On the invitation of NFU Cymru, Mrs Gillan visited both Pwll farm, a traditional family sheep and cattle farm in Treuddyn, and Pen y Palmant, a dairy farm in Minera; as well as Ysgol Dyffryn Iâl in Llandegla, a thriving, rural school which is at the heart of the community.

A meeting was also held between Mrs Gillan, North Wales AM Brynle Williams, Clwyd West AM Darren Millar and NFU Cymru members to discuss the current situation within Welsh agriculture. Local farmers took the opportunity to impress upon Mrs Gillan the difficulties faced by sheep farmers as a result of Foot and Mouth disease emanating from a Government-run laboratory in Surrey.

Ken Bellis, NFU Cymru Chairman for Clwyd said, "The main issue we raised with the Shadow Minister was that the responsibility for the Foot and Mouth outbreak does not lie at the farming industry's door. Farmers in North Wales are still calculating the cost of this sad episode and it is high time that the Government accepted its responsibility for this mess and made good the huge costs that this has imposed upon our industry."

Mr Bellis added, "There is real anguish amongst the farming community at the low lamb prices, with one farmer at the meeting reporting that prices today are lower than 20 years ago.

"Livestock farmers are facing a long and bleak winter as the industry tries to get back on its feet and NFU Cymru will now focus its attention on bringing the Government to book and recovering from Treasury the industry's colossal losses.

"I am extremely grateful to Cheryl Gillan for taking time out of her busy schedule to come and meet with us. Hopefully, by seeing for herself the problems facing Welsh farmers, it will give her more scope to fight our corner in Westminster."