Plaid accuse Labour of not listening to a “sector under siege”

As Senedd votes on sustainable farming scheme, tackling bTB narrowly fall
Thousands attended protest in Cardiff Bay on Wednesday

Plaid Cymru have accused the Labour of not listening to the agriculture sector as two major Senedd votes narrowly fell on Wednesday evening.

The calls had come as thousands of protesters descended on Cardiff Bay to protest against the Labour Welsh government’s new environmental subsidy plans.

Plaid Cymru’s Rural Affairs spokesperson Llyr Gruffydd said his party would continue to do “everything we can” to secure a future support scheme that “works for everyone”.

Farmers have been objecting to a major overhaul of farm subsidies, branded “unworkable” by unions.

The proposals would require farmers to commit 10% of agricultural land to be used for trees and another 10% for wildlife habitat.

South Wales Police said about 3,000 people turned up at the Senedd.

Plaid Cymru’s Rural Affairs Spokesperson Llyr Gruffydd MS said,

“Plaid Cymru is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with thousands of farmers from across Wales to demand fairness and a sustainable future for the Welsh family farm. We supported the proposal today for the Government to take a step back and to review the Sustainable Farming Scheme so that an alternative approach can  be develop that works for both farmers and the environment. We voted for action to tackle bovine TB. And we voted for a better future for our rural communities.

“It is bitterly disappointing that despite the clear strength of feeling from a sector under siege, Labour still isn’t listening. Our call for a pause in the process to review the proposed policy has clearly fallen on deaf ears.

“Plaid Cymru will continue to do everything we can to secure a future support scheme that works for everyone. We will also continue to demand a more proportionate approach to the NVZ regulations and for measures to tackle bovine TB in wildlife.

“In the meantime, we urge everyone to respond to the ongoing consultation on the Sustainable Farming Scheme to leave the government in no doubt that the current proposals do not achieve Wales’s climate change ambitions in a way that also delivers a sustainable future for our family farms.”