UK Government accused of breaking Brexit promise not to leave Welsh farmers worse off
A Welsh farming union say yesterday’s Budget broke a Conservative manifesto and Brexit campaign promise not to cut rural funding.
The Budget allocated an average of £300 million a year to Wales for agriculture and rural development over the next three financial years – £37 million less than in 2019.
Had Wales remained in the EU they would have received £334 million, the Farmers’ Union of Wales said.
The Conservative manifesto at the 2019 had promised to “guarantee the current annual [Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)] budget to farmers in every year of the next Parliament”.
The FUW said that they had written to Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart MP urging him to stick to the manifesto promise “but clearly that has not happened”.
“The UK Government’s decision to further slash the Welsh agricultural and rural development budget by an average of £37 million per year for the next three years breaks their promise to farmers and rural communities yet again,” FUW President Glyn Roberts said.
“This means that Welsh agriculture will be around £248 million worse off by 2025, almost the equivalent of a year’s worth of direct (Pillar 1) payments, revealing the truth behind the promises made by prominent Brexiteers and in the 2019 manifesto.
“Such cuts will undermine family farms, the rural economy and rural employment at a time of extreme uncertainty.”
A spokesperson for the UK Government disputed the FUW’s claim.
“Claims we are not maintaining the current annual budget for farmers across the United Kingdom are simply untrue and unhelpful,” they said.
“The funding that has been announced is on top of the remaining EU funding that farmers and land managers across the UK will receive for agri-environment and rural development projects.
“The fact remains that Welsh farmers will continue to receive the same level of funding for the next three years as they received at the baseline in 2019.”
Glyn Roberts said the FUW would continue to monitor further announcements on the spending review and engage with the Welsh Government on how these cuts will influence devolved funding allocations ahead of its budget announcement later this year.
In the Budget yesterday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it was aimed at investing in “a more innovative, high-skilled economy”.
His speech did not however directly mention farmers, agriculture or Brexit.
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They lied to everybody and now the figures prove it. Viceroy Hart can use his smoke and mirrors as much as he likes, but his own governments figures show the truth. I am only surprised that people of our country were prepared to believe them.
The Tories broke another promise. Brexit is a disaster. Is anybody really surprised?
If only more people had listened to the warnings in 2016 – and if only David Cameron, George Osbourne and Jeremy Corbyn hadn’t made such a mess of the Remain campaign!
You voted for Brexit, you got Brexit. Be happy, this is what you wanted. Did farmers think that the downsides would be suffered only by other people? Remember, you knew what you were voting for. The Brexiteer Tory government are liars but are not responsible. You voted to be poorer, nobody held a gun to your heads and told you to vote for it. You are, however, lucky. You have a way out – independence and re-joining the EU. Otherwise enjoy the downward slide and take comfort in the knowledge that everyone else is in the same boat, at least… Read more »
If you look your situation as a bystander, looks like United Kingdom is turning clock and circumstances back to the 1800 century. If French and EU wants, United Kingdom really is an island without any connections to Europe, but that you wanted. Maybe, you miss the Thing?
For those farmers who vote Conservative and are against what the government has done should VOTE GWLAD at the next election.
Welsh farming is the sacrificial lamb on the Conservative Brexit alter. They did similar to the Welsh mining industry and will do the same again to Welsh farming. The Conservatives out of desperation recently signed a free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand. Both nations have gigantic ranches, lesser animal welfare standards which means they can produce meat & poultry much cheaper than their Welsh counterparts resulting in consumers choosing the cheaper option over Welsh produce. There’s no loyalty when you are on a budget and need to feed your family. The reality is. Welsh farmers simply cannot compete.… Read more »
Conservative manifesto 2019
Boris Johnson’s Guarantee
I guarantee:
Extra funding for the NHS, with 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP surgery appointments a year.
20,000 more police and tougher sentencing for criminals.
An Australian-style points-based system to control immigration.
Millions more invested every week in science, schools, apprenticeships and infrastructure while controlling debt.
Reaching Net Zero by 2050 with investment in clean energy solutions and green infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.
We will not raise the rate of income tax, VAT or National Insurance.
Farmers are nothing special, he lies to everyone constantly, ask his wives.
They can always replace their pro-brexit posters on trailers and hay bails with pro Welsh independence posters and try to rejoin.
‘Project fear’ is now ‘Project reality’. Everyday we see the consequences of Brexit and it’s not pretty. Unfortunately, the people in England will probably vote this atrocious Tory government back in come the next GE. Ignoring, once again, our voice in Wales which is never heard in Westminster elections. We all know our only way out of this mess is through independence.
Be fair. You cannot accuse the government of breaking promises when they don’t understand the concept. You cannot accuse the Prime Minister of lying when it’s his only skill. Let’s not forget that the people of Wales voted in favour of Brexit and were instrumental in electing a serial liar. There is something about reaping the whirlwind.
And yet you can guarantee that the farmers will STILL vote tory.
I sometimes think that Bojo the Clown could personally axe murder a farmer’s entire family, kill all their livestock, kick the farmer repeatedly until they are near enough dead, steal all their money and burn the property to the ground and they would STILL vote tory.
I really don’t understand farmers, they consistently vote for a party that doesn’t support their best interests. And why? Just so they can exercise their right to rip a fox to bits.
(Sorry, Barry. This grew from a quick reply to a general comment.) Not the fox thing. They each vote that way because that’s what the family has always done. Education is what’s needed and the FUW could do a lot in that respect with simple figures and a short list of reliable sources: “Here’s what Westminster promised and this is how much they are giving. Here’s a financial projection for the first decade after independence. Looking at Lithuania and Slovenia, this is how your situation would probably change by rejoining the EU.” Select a country then skip down to “Budgets… Read more »