Farming unions’ letter ‘an indictment of Labour’s mismanagement’

A joint letter from NFU Cymru, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and Wales YFC calling on the Labour Minister for Environment, Energy, and Rural Affairs to reconsider what future farming policy should deliver for the people of Wales has been described as “… an indictment of years of Labour’s mismanagement of the agricultural sector” by Welsh Conservative Janet-Finch Saunders MS.

Mrs Finch-Saunders, the Shadow Minister for Environment, Energy, and Rural Affairs, praised the letter in which the three organisations raised concerns that little has changed over three consultation processes and there remains a lack of ambition for the future of farming in Wales, and added:

“Farming and agriculture is in the DNA of Wales, and despite the pressures the sector faces even in the best of years, it’s still a big draw for many young people, and a major contributor to the Welsh economy.

“Years of Labour’s mismanagement of the sector based on viewing Wales through the prism of Cardiff Bay has led to this letter, and I have to agree with the NFU, the FUW, and Wales YFC when they say that the direction of travel proposed by the Labour Government does not appear to reflect the uniqueness of Welsh farming.

“Labour also seems to be hell-bent on policy ideas that are not ‘Made in Wales’, but ‘Made in Cardiff Bay for Cardiff Bay’.

“In short, the letter is an indictment of years of Labour’s mismanagement of the agricultural sector, a sector like all others that will need specific and thoughtful future policy making now we have exited the EU, and are looking towards a post-pandemic recovery. 

“One thing is clear: recovery for agriculture and other sectors will not come from Labour, but from a Welsh Conservative Government that is as ambitious and dynamic as the agricultural sector.”