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Minister address FUW land use committee – from left, Richard Vaughan, FUW deputy president Emyr Jones, David Jones, President Gareth Vaughan[/caption]
The Farmers’ Union of Wales’ land use and parliamentary committee today had a full and frank discussion with parliamentary under secretary for Wales David Jones about concerns over the UK government position on the CAP reform and other rural issues.
Committee chairman Richard Vaughan said: “We had far-ranging discussion with the Minister which included concern at the UK Government’s position on the CAP, the impact of fuel duty on rural areas, the need for Broadband to be rolled throughout Wales and the power of the supermarkets.
“It is vital that the government carefully assesses the impact any monetary policy has on the rural economy as costs are generally higher in rural areas.”
On the proposed CAP reforms, Mr Vaughan added: “If the government wishes to address food security, it must ensure fair returns for farmers, either through the CAP, or from the markets and needs to tackle the imbalance of power in the supply chain.
"Failure to recognise this will decimate our food security and lead to massive social, economic, and environmental upheaval,” added Mr Vaughan.