No test run for new agri-environment scheme

St Clears in Carmarthenshire will no longer be used to pilot the Welsh Assembly's new Tir Cynnal agri-environment scheme, much to the disappointment of NFU Cymru's Vice President, Dai Davies who, today at the United Counties Show, expressed his concerns regarding the scheme.

The communities of St Clears and Llanfair Talhaiarn in North Wales had been selected by the Welsh Assembly to pilot the new Tir Cynnal scheme. The decision to open the scheme across Wales in 2005 has meant however that there is not enough time to give it a test run.

Dai Davies, Vice President of NFU Cymru and a dairy farmer from St Clears feels strongly that a test-run would have enabled the Assembly to recognise the flaws with the scheme. He said, "I don't want to see the Assembly rush into starting this new scheme as we at NFU Cymru are particularly concerned at the fact that a limit has been put on the hectarage eligible for payments under the Tir Cynnal Scheme. Whilst the whole of the farm would have to be entered into Tir Cynnal, only the first 100 hectares of the farmer's land would be eligible for support."

"This effectively means that all of a farmer's land that has given rise to support, and which would be subject to modulation, has to be entered to the scheme but only a proportion of the land will, in practice, receive support for the positive environmental works and the costs associated with the scheme."

The Welsh Assembly say their approach to the scheme was designed to focus money on 'small to medium sized farmers ie. The traditional family farm that is the cornerstone of Welsh agriculture.'

NFU Cymru has written to the Minister for Agriculture, Carwyn Jones AM, to argue the point, however, that the vast majority of farms in excess of 100 hectares are, in today's society, very much traditional family farms and are an integral part, and indeed the bedrock, of our industry.

Dai Davies added, "Out intention at NFU Cymru is to maximise the number of viable farming businesses in Wales irrespective of size. That is why we feel this principle of 'cut-off' funding discriminates quite unfairly against those who farm land in excess of the set threshold and we will continue to do all we can to get the proposed hectarage limits changed. It is unfortunate that the Assembly appears to place no value on the environmental activities carried out on land in excess of 100 hectares."