Minister slams Welsh farming red tape progress
The Welsh government has issued a progress report on cutting red tape in farming, but critics have said measures do not go far enough.
Wales’ deputy farm minister, Alun Davies, issued the update on his programme for reducing regulation in agriculture on Wednesday, 13 March.
But opposition politicians said the minister had not dealt with some key issues that had an adverse effect on farming efficiency in Wales.
Plaid Cymru environment spokesman Llyr Gruffydd said there was duplication and also regulations that had long been identified as issues that needed to be addressed, but were still to be resolved.
These include the six-day standstill rule and the requirement for three-day movement reporting. The government had not progressed either on allowing cattle tag inspections and bovine TB testing to be done simultaneously.
“Only last week I was contacted by a constituent who had been informed of an imminent cattle tag inspection of more than 1,000 cattle, when the same cattle tags were read at least twice during TB testing just a couple of weeks previously,” said Mr Gruffydd.
“For many years farming industry representatives have asked that the contracts issued by government to veterinarians to TB test cattle should include a clause stating that vets must inform the Rural Inspectorate Wales when they are going to undertake statutory TB testing on farms. Despite continued calls for such changes, progress in this area has been lamentable and must be addressed swiftly.”
Although Mr Gruffydd admitted that addressing the six-day standstill rule was not a simple issue, he believed it was one where progress was possible. He cited the situation in Northern Ireland and Scotland, where isolation facilities are in place.
“If the Welsh government is serious about improving regulation and changing the way it and the farming industry operate, then why doesn’t the deputy minister send a strong signal that he is serious about this? Removing Wales’ requirement to report cattle movements within three days of their occurrence would be such a signal,” Mr Gruffydd suggested.