FUW calls for WAG action to resolve mounting common land problems

THE Farmers' Union of Wales has called on the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) to take urgent action to prevent farmers being penalised for making genuine errors on their IACS forms due to confusion regarding common land.

The call followed an emergency meeting of FUW officials and staff from across Wales, held at the union's Aberystwyth headquarters to discuss mounting problems caused by inconsistencies between previous forage area allocations and data held in the commons registers.

Following the meeting, FUW Common Land Committee Chairman Lorraine Howells said: "For many years the Union has repeatedly expressed major concerns regarding the potential impact of changing forage area calculations on common land, and has met with WAG on numerous occasions to discuss these issues.

"We have succeeded in winning some major concessions that have saved Welsh farmers hundreds of thousands of pounds. However, it is shocking that many of these decisions have been made following emergency meetings with WAG held in the run up to the IACS deadline - particularly given that we have letters dating back years warning WAG of these potential problems.

"Given the complexity of common land issues these last minute changes have resulted in droves of concerned and confused members contacting our offices across Wales.

"While we hope that the majority will have been given a mechanism that minimises the financial impact, the confusions about how to clarify complex situations on an IACS form that is not designed to cope with some scenarios means that many could be penalised for making obvious errors on their forms."

FUW president Gareth Vaughan, who also attended the meeting, urged all FUW members facing such confusion to contact their county offices for guidance.

He added: "We will be asking WAG to provide further guidance for those affected whilst urging them not to penalise those who make genuine errors on their IACS forms due to the current shambles.

"There are also major concerns regarding the impact for some on their Tir Mynydd payments."

The nature of the problems are wide-ranging and are generally the result of WAG cross checks that have identified large areas of land as being common. For example, some checks have identified land previously believed to be private, as being registered common land.

Due to these discrepancies farmers have endured payment delays, the threat of financial penalties, and vast reductions in the value of their assets.

In many of the cases FUW staff have little doubt that the commons register is incorrect.

It is widely acknowledged by the relevant authorities that many inaccuracies arose in the 1970s as a result of the Ramblers' Association spuriously registering large tracts of private land as being common, presumably in the hope of attaining access to registered land and further boosting their right to roam, while others are the result of mapping errors.

WAG is currently in the process of implementing various aspects of the 2006 Commons Act, which should provide an opportunity to update and correct the commons registers.

The FUW has already contacted the Welsh Ramblers' Association calling for their assurances that they will not object to the correction of commons registers.

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