The Farmers' Union of Wales today welcomed the decision to set up an independent review panel into the Welsh Assembly Government's controversial land management scheme, Glastir, after it received fewer than 3,000 applications from farmers.
"Some serious questions now need to be asked as to why we are in this situation," said FUW president Gareth Vaughan. "The FUW has been expressing its profound concerns about the scheme for over twelve months and it is only now the Assembly have woken up to the fact that the scheme is currently impractical for many farmers.
"Last year the union called for a 12-month delay to the introduction of the scheme so that it could be fully thought out, piloted and all elements launched at the same time so that farmers could make considered business decisions.
"It is, therefore, no surprise that less than 20% of those who expressed an interest in the scheme have actually submitted application forms, and we are sadly now in a 'we told you so' situation.
"However, the decision by the Minister to establish an independent review panel to try and make the scheme more practical must be welcomed, providing the advice of the panel is fully accepted by the Assembly and acted upon quickly."