The Farmers’ Union of Wales today branded the Welsh Government’s failure to heed its warnings to make a fallen stock burial derogation more workable - or face a collection crisis - as “gold plating at a time of emergency”.
Since an extended burial derogation was issued on April 2 in response to the severe weather, the FUW has consistently warned Government that the excessive red tape accompanying the derogation would lead to more misery and a significant and escalating disease risk due to fallen stock collectors being unable to cope with demand.
“In particular, we told the Welsh Government on April 2 that it was totally wrong to require farmers to obtain evidence from fallen collectors that they would not be able to collect, and that this would completely undermine the utility of a desperately needed derogation,” said FUW president Emyr Jones, of Rhosygwaliau, near Bala.
“It is totally unfair on farmers, but also unfair on the collectors. After all, farmers were effectively required to ask for confirmation from the collectors that they were unable to provide you with a service and did not want your business.”
Mr Jones was reacting to an Environment and Sustainability Committee hearing earlier today when committee members questioned natural resources and food minister Alun Davies about his department’s handling of the recent crisis. During the hearing, the Government claimed such bureaucracy and evidence was “necessary”.
“While we accept that collecting evidence was necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of the derogation , it is unbelievably naïve to require farmers to get a key part of that evidence from fallen stock collectors, particularly at a time when the evidence was all around and in places 15 or 20 feet deep!” said Mr Jones.
“Farmers with their backs against the wall and already suffering have had their misery added to by having to watch rotting carcasses for weeks and when they have contacted their local authorities asking if they can bury, they have been told ‘no’ and threatened with prosecution because the Welsh Government guidance is so restrictive.
“It is an absolutely disgraceful and immoral situation and, while the EU Regulation lies at the root of the problem, the gold plating of the Regulation in the guidance issued to local authorities has played a significant part in adding to peoples’ emotional and financial woes.”
Mr Jones also expressed major concerns regarding the Welsh Government’s claim, during hearing, that much of the evidence it had heard was anecdotal rather than hard.
“The vast majority of the general public are in no doubt that farms within a broad band across Mid and North Wales have faced a major emergency over the past six weeks and we have been providing regular updates to the Welsh Government on the problems facing large numbers of farms and lobbying for changes which recognise these problems,” he said.
“While the Welsh Government is based in Cardiff, it also has offices across North Wales and must surely have been aware that the problems facing farmers and their animals were real and that urgent action needed to be taken.”
Mr Jones said he had already raised concerns at an EU level but questions needed to be answered in terms of the way in which the crisis had been handled at Welsh and local government levels.
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FUW president Emyr Jones[/caption]