I remain extremely concerned by the Labour Welsh Government’s treatment of farmers and the unworkable proposals to take 20 per cent of their land out of production for tree planting and other habitat schemes. This cannot happen because without farmers, there is no food. Prices will go up, making us more reliant on food imports and driving many Welsh farmers out of business. In future, farms will also have to commit to a checklist of 17 complicated rules - designed to reward sustainable farming practices - in order to receive post-EU subsidy payments. How appalling that the Labour Senedd Member for Blaenau Gwent has crudely dismissed farmers as “cranks”, while First Minister Mark Drakeford suggested farmers were protesting in Rhyl because they had “nothing better to do”. No wonder the agricultural community is furious. What a horribly dismissive and inflammatory way for senior Labour politicians to talk about people who work incredibly hard throughout the year in all weathers to put food on our plates. I very much hope Welsh Labour councillors will condemn these outrageous comments. In the meantime, I have written to Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths to ask for a meeting so I can explain why farmers in Monmouthshire and across Wales are angry, frustrated and concerned about the policy she is pursuing – and to call on her to rethink the highly controversial Sustainable Farming Scheme. I understand farmers are planning a peaceful protest outside the Senedd this week to show the full impact of planned subsidy cuts before the final scheme consultation closes on 7 March.
It has been two years since Russia launched its illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Instability in the Middle East seems to have removed Putin’s war from the front pages. But the UK Government remains steadfast in our continued resolve for Ukraine. We have announced over 50 new sanctions targeting individuals and businesses supplying Russia’s military with munitions. Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced in Kyiv a new £2.5bn military support package, bringing total UK assistance to £12bn. The UK was also the first country to sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine; France and Germany have now done the same. Monmouthshire has welcomed more Ukrainian families than any other part of Wales and it has been a pleasure to meet some of them. Our unambiguous message is one of enduring support for as long as it takes. Slava Ukraini.
*Published in the Monmouthshire Beacon and Abergavenny Chronicle on 28 February 2024*