Union engages with political movers and shakers
AS I sat down to write this month’s column, I pondered whether to write about Brexit, but decided that what I wrote would probably be out of date by the time it went to print. Our fate is in the hands of the politicians – I hope sense will prevail and if we leave it will be in an orderly manner.
Speaking of politicians, myself, deputy president Aled Jones and NFU Cymru’s political adviser Huw Thomas attended this year’s party conferences. We met MPs, AMs, MEPs, prospective parliamentary and Assembly candidates and party members at the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru conferences.
Conference season kicked off with the Liberal Democrats in Bournemouth, where Aled was a panellist at the NFU fringe event Our Farming Future: A United Vision, alongside Lib Dem chief whip Alistair Carmichael MP, who is from a farming background. I’m told there was loud applause when Aled firmly stated that whatever happens with Brexit, “standards are not up for negotiation”.
The following week I attended the Labour conference in Brighton, where we discussed the vulnerabilities of a no-deal Brexit and our ambitions for net zero agricultural emissions. We also asked delegates to pledge support for Welsh and British farming. It was great to see so many Welsh politicians join us on the NFU stand – Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith, Shadow Welsh Secretary Christina Rees, Wayne David MP, Tonia Antoniazzi MP and First Minister Mark Drakeford.
I chaired NFU’s Labour fringe event alongside Shadow Farming Minister
David Drew and NFU vice-president Stuart Roberts. We discussed how Labour can appeal to farming areas. The audience, many of them prospective parliamentary candidates, heard discussions on food production, climate change and political engagement.
Next Huw and I travelled to Manchester for the Conservative conference. Over 700 party members signed the NFU’s pledge to Back British Farming. The stand was visited by senior politicians including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, DExEU Secretary Steve Barclay, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, Private Secretary to Boris Johnson, James Heappey MP and many others.
The NFU’s Farming Question Time drew big crowds, with a panel consisting of Defra Secretary Theresa Villiers, NFU president Minette Batters, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Committee chair Neil Parish MP and chief reporter at Farmers Guardian, Abi Kay. Ms Batters, reiterated that any exit from the EU must be orderly, stating: “Farming is not ready for nodeal... For every single farming sector it would be disastrous…” I couldn’t agree more!
Finally, Aled, Huw and I attended the Plaid Cymru Conference. We spoke to many AMs, MPs, MEPs, councillors and Plaid members. Brexit topped the agenda as well as the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming and Our Land consultation on future agricultural support. We also discussed the Rural Development Programme.
These conferences are an opportunity to put our concerns to the main political parties. We need politicians’ support more than ever, as they make the decisions that shape the future of Welsh and UK agriculture.