Changes to hill support cause concern

21 July 2000

Changes to hill support cause concern

ABOUT 80% of the 1.7m hectares (4m acre) of agricultural land in Wales is designated less favoured, so there is deep concern about changes in hill farming support.

Despite having only 9% of the farmed land in the UK, Welsh producers run 12% of the beef cows and 27% of the breeding ewes. Because their upland holdings tend to be smaller and more intensively stocked the switch from headage to area payments will have a big impact.

The presidents of both the Welsh farming unions have lobbied hard for a deal that ring fences the total allocation of support funding for Wales, and takes account of the historical distribution pattern. While both organisations claim to be fighting for family farms located west of Offas Dyke, they disagree on whether modulation should be used to defend small farmers.

This split underlines the apparently irreconcilable differences between the two. The FUW insists that the emphasis on livestock means farming in Wales is very different from that in England, and no single union can serve both.

President, Bob Parry, claims: "The differences between the two countries has been recognised politically with the establishment of the national assembly. This must be followed up with more farming policies determined in Wales."

Because the impact would be proportionally greater in Wales, Tir Mynydd, the scheme that replaced HLCAs must be tailored to Welsh conditions.

The NFUs Hugh Richards argues that farmers see that the unions lobbying in Cardiff, London and Brussels is the best way for the industry to fight its way out of the crisis. Which was why membership in Wales rose by 1000 last year to over 16,000.

Asked about their priorities when talking to politicians at next weeks Royal Welsh Show the two gave similar responses. These included levelling the playing field for producers throughout Europe by a reduction in the strength of sterling and the ending of unfair national aids, standard regulations, charges and bureaucracy throughout the EU, and sufficient match funding to take up all EU Objective 1 cash.

Though they each invested £250 in the poorly supported Welsh Meat Company, neither union leader was very enthusiastic about its prospectus. But they want the Welsh assembly to find ways of boosting farm incomes by improved marketing and adding value to Welsh farm produce. &#42

Hugh Richards says union lobbying is the best way out of farmings crisis.

WELSH DATA

&#8226 Agricultural area 1,677,000ha (4,024,800 acres), or 9% of UK total.

&#8226 Of this 12.5% arable, 54.8% permanent grass and 28.8% rough grazing.

&#8226 There are 28,000 holdings of which the EU classes 14,300 as full-time.

&#8226 Almost 80% of agricultural land is less favoured and 70% of this is severely disadvantaged.

&#8226 Stocking includes 276,000 dairy cows (11.3% of UK total), 225,000 beef cows (11.3%) and 5.7m breeding ewes (26.8%).

&#8226 Average herd/flock sizes are 58 dairy cows, 22 suckler cows and 364 breeding ewes. Only about 400 full time units carry pigs and poultry.

&#8226 About 154,200 prime cattle, 284,100 store cattle and calves, 372,800 store sheep and 4,773,400 prime lambs are marketed each year.

&#8226 Annually auction markets sell 74,000 store and dairy cattle and 2,709,000 head of slaughter stock.

&#8226 Wales has 34 fresh meat abattoirs, 24 cutting plants and 16 cold stores.

&#8226 In 1999 the total labour force excluding spouses was 61,300 and Welsh farming had 15,720 employed workers.