The beef, sheep and cereals enterprise at Whitecastle, near Llanvethrine, provided the perfect backdrop for a wide-ranging discussion on a number of issues of concern to farmers in the local area, including the new Sustainable Farming Scheme, bovine TB, as well as the red-tape and bureaucracy impacting the sector.
NFU Cymru Monmouthshire County Chair Rob Hoggins said: "Last month’s election brought significant change as the Senedd expanded and constituency boundaries changed. I’m grateful to both Laura-Anne and Stephen for coming out to meet with me on farm only a few weeks after taking up their new posts, to discover more about the issues and challenges in the sector.
SFS brought significant changes
"One of the most significant changes the agricultural sector is facing at the moment is the move towards the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which went live earlier this year. The scheme needs to be straightforward and attractive to farmers all across Wales, in every farming sector, leaving no farmer worse off than they would have been in the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
As crucial data comes out showing us the level of uptake and participation in the scheme, there will be an important role for individuals such as Laura-Anne and Stephen in helping ensure that the new Welsh Government develops and evolves the scheme if some parts of Wales, or any particular farming sectors, are suffering a detriment.
"Related to this, there was also discussion of the importance of the new Welsh Government’s commitment to multi-annual funding arrangement for Welsh agriculture, a move which should bring more certainty and confidence to the sector."
On-farm bureaucracy as well as the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations were also topics of conversation during the meeting.
Rob Hoggins said: "We welcome the recent Welsh Government announcement of an independent review examining on-farm bureaucracy. In particular, it's crucial that this review removes and rationalises those rules and regulations that no longer serve a purpose, as well as instances where there is considerable overlap and duplication.
We all hope that this process can deliver positive changes to make the business of farming that little bit easier.
Water quality and TB
‘The current approach to water quality sees the regulations applied to the whole of Wales, with all farms subject to the same controls and record keeping requirements regardless of their location, the number of livestock they hold and the risk of pollution they pose.
We need to ensure that the rules are proportionate and targeted and that in particular the farming by calendar approach is looked at again."
As one of the areas of Wales most badly impacted by bovine TB, it was inevitable that the meeting also covered the impact of the disease on farming businesses in Monmouthshire.
NFU Cymru members expressed their frustration with the previous Welsh Government’s TB policy, which had left the reservoir of disease in wildlife unaddressed. Rob Hoggins said: "TB is a complex disease, with clear evidence of a link between TB in cattle and TB in badgers.
Tackling it solely in cattle has proven to be ineffective, and we need the right intervention, including wildlife measures, to be deployed in the right way, and at the right time. We are all now very much looking to the new Welsh Government to take a fresh approach to tackling this disease in Wales."
Speaking after the meeting, Laura-Anne Jones MS said: "It was great to meet with the NFU Cymru Monmouthshire County Chair, Rob Hoggins, and other NFU Cymru representatives to discuss the key issues and challenges facing the agricultural industry.
“It is clearer than ever that farmers need certainty, fairness and a government that listens to farmers and puts food production and food security at the heart of policy making.”
Rob Hoggins concluded: "I’m really grateful to Laura-Anne and Stephen for coming to join us on farm. We’ve raised some important matters with them which they can take back to Cardiff Bay and which will help them in their very important role of scrutinising Welsh Government."
