Welsh Labour MS's views on farm funding 'out of touch', NFU Cymru says

NFU Cymru has slammed comments about farm funding made by Welsh Labour politician Mike Hedges as 'completely out of touch'.

During a Senedd plenary debate on 10 January, Mr Hedges stated ‘there is no reason to subsidise agriculture’.

NFU Cymru has strongly criticised the comments, suggesting that the Swansea East MS is ‘failing to see the bigger picture'.

The union said he failed to see the value of the Welsh food and farming industry, as well as the role that farmers play in feeding the nation.

Reacting to the comments, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said the comments made would be 'infuriating' for Welsh farmers to hear.

“Mike Hedges will be well aware of the budgetary pressures Welsh government is currently subject to," he said.

"He must surely recognise that the axe has already fallen heavily on the agricultural sector’s finances in recent times."

The rural affairs budget was subject to a 7.8% in-year cut in October in a ‘reprioritisation’ of the budget to support front line services,.

The Welsh government’s draft budget announcement last month forecast a further 10.5% cut in funding to the rural affairs portfolio.

On each occasion, the rural affairs budget has been subject to the largest cut in funding in percentage terms.

Mr Jones said that Mr Hedges "hasn’t grasped that this funding is instrumental in supporting food production to feed people in Wales and beyond".

"Wales needs thriving farm businesses to keep producing food to feed everyone in society and financial stability is an important component in enabling that to happen," he added.

The views shared by Mr Hedges are not in line with those shared by the vast majority of the Welsh public, as evidenced in a survey commissioned by NFU Cymru late last year.

This revealed that 82% of the public support Welsh government providing support to farmers to produce food.

Mr jones said that the comments made by Mr Hedges were "completely out of touch" with the overwhelming majority of people in Wales.

“Welsh farmers will be angered to hear a Member of the Senedd talking down their industry in this manner," he said.

"I struggle to recall any other sector of the Welsh economy being discussed in such negative terms.

"It is a shame that Mike Hedges has not been willing to take up our repeated offers to join us on farm in order that he can see for himself the contribution farming makes to Welsh society."