Producing food within environmentally sustainable limits

"Just half a century ago, when the Common Agricultural Policy was introduced, the challenge given to Welsh farmers was to produce food. Now during the latest round of reforms to the Policy we should be looking towards our farmers to produce ’green’ goods," that’s according to Arfon Williams from RSPB, who recently addressed NFU Cymru Monmouthshire County Conference.

Mr Williams, Countryside Manager at RSPB Wales, told local farmers, "When the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was introduced in 1962 it was designed to increase production of affordable food. The policy then related to the needs of the time – food shortages.

"The CAP of the future, however, needs to respond to today’s challenges. We must move away from a policy based on production support to one that rewards farmers for sustainable land management. CAP should be used to ensure delivery of environmental goods and services for the wider public including the improvement and management of water quality and quantity, to mitigate for climate change and halt biodiversity declines

Mr Williams, a farmer’s son from mid-Wales, said, "Of course there is still an on-going requirement to produce food, and farmers should receive payment for environmentally sustainable food production especially where it leads to the delivery of wider environmental benefits."

He continued, "In the future the market should reward farmers for food production and the Common Agricultural Policy needs to reward farmers for producing green goods for which there is no current market. These goods include safeguarding the raw materials required by farmers to produce food; water and soil. Given Wales’ natural assets Welsh farmers are well placed to benefit from a policy based on sustainable land management."

Stephen James, NFU Cymru Deputy President, said, "It is vital that NFU Cymru continues to engage with organisations such as the RSPB. The countryside we talk about has been created by many generations of farmers and it always has to be remembered that farmers farm the land."

Colin Phillips, NFU Cymru Monmouthshire County Chairman thanked Arfon Williams for his interesting address which stimulated much debate. He also thanked HSBC for their sponsorship of the conference.