Ceredigion farmers meet local AM
CAP Reform and Bovine Tb were the main topics of discussion during a Ceredigion NFU Cymru on-farm meeting with local Assembly Member Elin Jones held at Dolgwybedin Farm, Llanafan by kind permission of Mr Hywel Hughes and family.
Commenting on CAP Reform, John Davies, Ceredigion NFU Cymru county chairman said, “We now have some more clarity on the future direction of CAP Reform following the recent political agreement amongst the EU political institutions. I’m pleased that some of the greening measures appear to be less severe than first feared and that strong lobbying from NFU Cymru has been successful in securing some exemptions for predominantly grassland farms that should make it more manageable for many farmers in Ceredigion.”
John Davies added, “As farmers we’re fully aware that there will be significant changes in the way that agricultural support will be delivered in future with the inevitable move away from the historic model of payments towards an area based approach. It is of utmost importance to the industry that this change is managed carefully and we’re looking to the Welsh Government to put in place a system that as far as possible will minimise the redistribution between farming businesses, sectors and regions of Wales.”
Speaking of the importance of CAP to the industry, John Davies added, “The support that comes to farming through the CAP is vital to protect the industry against the impacts of volatile supply chains that can have a severe impact on both the costs of producing food and the prices we receive in the marketplace.
“The direct payments we receive through Pillar 1 of the CAP remains vital to support food production. However I’m concerned that the recent agreement on CAP will potentially allow our government to move resource out of Pillar 1 and into Rural Development programmes in Pillar 2. This would erode the budget available for direct payments and could consequently impact negatively on the competitiveness of Ceredigion farmers.”
The concerns of farmers about the impact of Bovine Tb on beef and dairy herds in Ceredigion were also at the forefront of discussions with the local AM and John Davies said, “I share the concerns and frustrations of many farmers that Bovine Tb is out of control. Despite the best efforts of farmers in complying with all the stringent cattle testing and movement regulations that are now in place we’re seeing the disease is now creeping into areas of Ceredigion that have never seen the disease before.”
Mr Davies added, “We know that to eradicate the disease it must be tackled in all sources. In England they are moving forward with a comprehensive eradication policy which includes pilot culls of badgers in areas of high incidence of the disease, however the Welsh Government persists with a badger vaccination policy in the Intensive Action Area (IAA) in North Pembrokeshire that is unproven, costly to deliver and wholly unsustainable in the long term. I believe that badger vaccination can play a part in controlling and eradicating Bovine Tb but badger vaccination alone will not be an effective intervention in areas such as the IAA where the disease is rife.”
John Davies concluded, “We’re grateful to our local AM for meeting with us to hear our concerns. The agricultural industry forms the backbone of the rural economy and sustains the vast majority of communities here in Ceredigion. As farmers we urge Elin Jones and her fellow Assembly members in Cardiff Bay to ensure that the Welsh Government delivers policies that will help and support farming and food production here in Wales.”
