The coastal dairy farm of John Gwynant Hughes, NFU Cymru's Chairman for Mid Gwynedd, provided the backdrop to a recent on farm meeting with the National Assembly's Presiding Officer Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.
Lord Elis-Thomas met with farmers from his constituency to hear their concerns for the industry. Issues raised with the Presiding Officer included the precarious state of the Welsh sheep industry following the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak, the burden of multiple farm inspections and the Assembly Government's proposals to extend Nitrate Vulnerable Zones within Wales.
John Gwynant Hughes said, "After what has been a disastrous few months for the industry, we are grateful to Lord Elis-Thomas for meeting with us to hear first hand about the problems we are facing.
"Whilst the sheep industry in particular is still reeling from the after effects of foot and mouth disease restrictions, it is vital that farmers feel they have a voice in both Cardiff Bay and in Westminster. We made the most of the opportunity to hammer home the point to Lord Elis-Thomas that the current market prices received by livestock farmers are unsustainable and unless we see a significant improvement there is no doubt that some farmers will give up farming all together."
Farmers present at the meeting also voiced their unease at the Assembly Government's proposals to re-designate Wales' Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), which will lead to restrictions being imposed on farms within certain areas.
John Gwynant Hughes added, "If these proposals are submitted by the Assembly to the European Commission they will cost the average dairy farmer in Wales dearly. Not only will capital have to be spent but it could mean either a stock reduction or the need to buy or rent more land to retain current stock numbers."
Also under scrutiny at the meeting was the dominance of supermarkets in the retail sector.
Mr Hughes said, "80% of food bought in the UK is sold through supermarkets, but profit made on meat is not being passed back along the food chain to the farmer. This industry has been built on the goodwill of Britain's farmers, which is completely unsustainable in the long term. It is about time people sat up and took heed of the warnings that unless farmers receive a decent return for their produce, they will not continue producing.
"This will leave us completely dependent on imports to sustain our population – a situation that doesn't bear thinking about."
