Glastir threatens traditional farming, say Welsh unions

Traditional methods of fattening lambs in the Welsh uplands will be threatened by new rules contained in the Glastir land management scheme, Welsh unions have said.

A delegation of unions met Welsh rural affairs minister Elin Jones on 18 June to discuss unease over Glastir – in particular, a requirement preventing lambs from grazing root crops until mid-October.

Gareth Vaughan, president of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, expressed concern that under the current arrangements of the scheme, livestock would be prevented from accessing root crops until 15 October to preserve winter feed for wildlife.

“This would be far too late for the upland regions of Wales. At high altitude, winter sets in fairly quickly and if we weren’t allowed to graze root crops until the middle of October our lambs would not fatten well,” said Mr Vaughan, who runs a traditional beef and sheep unit at Cwmyrhiewdre Farm near Newtown.

He urged the rural affairs minister to consider allow grazing up to four weeks earlier, from mid-September.

Mr Vaughan told the minister he found the decision to exclude woodland from the All-Wales element of Glastir “baffling”. This would exclude many farms, dairy in particular, he said.

“So much woodland has been made stock-proof thanks to the existing agri-environment schemes. It would be a tragedy if animals were allowed back into these woodlands and habitats destroyed,” said Mr Vaughan.

Elin Jones maintains that she intends to press ahead with her plan to implement the scheme from 2012 despite calls for a 12-month deferment.

“I am not convinced of a need for a one year extension. This would only serve to create a position where we would be in exactly the same situation one year down the line,” she said.