On day one of the trip, the young farmers visited the NFU office in Westminster where they heard from NFU’s External Affairs Manager, Ruairi Hughes, before heading to the Houses of Parliament to meet with Labour MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, Steve Witherden.
Houses of Parliament tour
Mr Witherden gave the group an interesting tour around the Houses of Parliament, stopping to highlight the many Welsh focal points throughout. During the tour, the MP spoke of his backing of Welsh farming and his work supporting the sector over inheritance tax (IHT) and Bluetongue.
Following the meeting, NFU Cymru Next Generation Development Group member from Montgomeryshire Ieuan Williams, said: “As one of his constituents, it was great for me to meet with Steve Witherden and have such a fascinating tour of Parliament. I know he has been a strong advocate for Welsh farming, and I’d like to thank him on behalf of the group for his time.”
The group then headed back to the NFU office to meet with Steve Knight, Agricultural Specialist for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Mr Knight spoke with the group about his role within the USDA and his thoughts on the relationship between the UK and America and the opportunities for increasing trade flows between the two countries, particularly red meat.
Wales Office
The young farmers then headed off to the Wales Office to meet Minister Anna McMorrin, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales. Here they took the opportunity to discuss
the challenges faced by Welsh agriculture in light of spiralling input costs and difficult weather conditions, as well as animal health issues and food imports.
Speaking after meeting, NFU Cymru Next Generation Development Group member Elliw Griffith said: “We had some useful discussions with the Minister about a number of issues impacting farmers across Wales, including the need for a ban on Brazilian beef and poultry meat until they can prove their standards match our own, IHT and the fertiliser tax. The meeting was a great opportunity for us to put forward our views on the things that are impacting our farming businesses, and I’d like to thank Anna McMorrin for meeting us.”
That evening, the group met with Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Leader of the party in Westminster. During the meeting, the MP spoke to the group about what a typical week looks like for her as she splits her time between Westminster and Dwyfor Meirionnydd, explaining how much she enjoys being back in her constituency. She also discussed a number of issues impacting farmers in Wales at the moment and set out how working with the new Plaid Cymru Government in Wales was important to her.
NFU Cymru Next Generation Development Group member from Meirionnydd Will Jones said: “I’d like to thank Liz Saville-Roberts for being so generous with her time and giving us an insight into the weekly life of an MP. As one of her constituents, it was interesting to hear her comments about life in her constituency supporting farming and rural Wales and the work she does with the Plaid Cymru Government in the Senedd.”
Surrey Docks Farm
The next morning, the group travelled to Surrey Docks, to a working farm in the heart of the city. Occupying 2.2 acres on the south bank of the River Thames in Rotherhithe, the farm works with local communities and the people of Southwark to provide many unique opportunities for people to learn about farming, food production and be actively involved in the working life of the farm.
Commenting on the trip, NFU Cymru Next Generation Development Group member Delia Protheroe from Carmarthen said: “It was fantastic to see what life on a city farm is really like. The work they are doing at Surrey Docks Farm to educate children and adults about where their food really comes from and encouraging them to get outside and grow their own fruit and veg is so important, especially in such an urban environment.”
