Getting the right balance
"It is vitally important for farmers to get the right balance between food production and agri environment work in the Less Favoured Areas of Wales. The future design, accessibility and smooth running of agri environment schemes by the Assembly will be all important to farmers in Meirionnydd," This will be Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President's, opening message at Meirionnydd County Show.
Schemes such as the Tir Gofal Scheme, which is a Welsh Assembly agri-environment scheme that pays farmers to use their land less intensively has played a vital part in day to day work on many Meirionnydd farms. The fact that it is a scheme that combines annual payments for positive management with capital works has been vital in maintaining employment in rural areas with massive landscape benefits. Recent reports from the Welsh Assembly Government have disappointed many farmers as it's become apparent that the number of delayed applications for its flagship agri-environmental scheme Tir Gofal is higher than previously thought.
Dai Davies went on to say, "Food production is important today with the growing world population. We need to meet the twin challenges of producing more food and sustaining our precious environment which aren't mutually exclusive. Given the right framework which allows farming to be profitable and to invest in the future, we can meet this challenge."
Dai Davies, concluded, "In order for farmers to be able to pursue in the excellent work they undertake to maintain Wales' unique landscape, they must have support and a clear long term commitment from the Welsh Assembly Government.
"NFU Cymru is disappointed that the number of Tir Gofal applications to be processed appears to have gone up leading to delays in processing of applications, i.e farmers being unable to access the scheme. Money for Tir Gofal has of course been raised through the modulation of farmers' single farm payments and it is therefore vitally important that farmers are able to access these funds. We are keen that people who wish to join Tir Gofal should be able to do so and once in be paid on time."
