i) Survey on the Agricultural Minimum Wage Legislation in Wales

The independent Agricultural Advisory Panel advises Welsh Ministers on the agricultural minimum wage and terms and conditions of employment for workers in agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors.

The Agricultural Minimum Wage is in its fifth year and it is important to ensure it continues to meet the needs of an ever changing industry. To this end ADAS has been commissioned by the Welsh Government to carry out a survey on agricultural employment in Wales.

Your views and experiences are important both as an employer and employee, in order to inform the work of the Agricultural Advisory Panel and development of Welsh Government policies.

You can either complete the online survey here

Or follow the link to arrange an appointment to undertake a telephone interview with ADAS. The survey will close on 31 January 2020.

All information you provide will be treated as confidential. No personal information will be shared with Welsh Government or any other party. Aggregated data will be provided to Welsh Government and the Agricultural Advisory Panel to help inform their work.

ii) Cattle and sheep health and welfare priorities ‘grassroots’ survey

The Ruminant Health and Welfare Group (RHWG) has launched a ‘grassroots’ survey in an attempt to prioritise health and welfare issues using evidence and a better understanding of the views of farmers, shepherds, herd managers and farm vets.

The survey, which can be completed here, consists of questions based on a range of diseases and conditions that have been identified by expert groups to have a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Respondents can also suggest others which should be included however, it is important to note that the RHWG recognises the pressures and impacts of Bovine TB.

The results will help identify disease and welfare impacts as well as regional specific issues based on the experiences of those working with sheep and cattle, and will feed into future activities of the RHWG.

The survey should take no longer than 25 minutes to complete. Respondents who fill in their name and email address (see terms and conditions) will have the chance to win one of three christmas hampers.

Please note that the identity of respondents will not be associated with their responses.

iii) ‘The Big Farming Survey’ – RABI to deliver insight into the issues impacting farming people

On 11th January 2021, RABI launches the largest ever research project across Wales and England relating to the wellbeing of farming people. This wide-ranging survey will consider for the first time the relationship between physical health, mental wellbeing and the health of farm businesses.

With mounting external pressures, this vital research will provide the most comprehensive overview of the farming community. It will identify the specific challenges that a generation of farming people face, as well as highlighting how these impact daily life.

The FUW is supporting this important initiative and encourages everyone to get involved
in this research and reach the target of 26,000 survey responses.

• Goals of the #BigFarmingSurvey
• To understand the wellbeing of a farming generation
• To understand the health of our farmers and their businesses
• To gain insights into external impacts and pressures
• To shape future support and services

Who can take part: Farmers, farm workers, their spouses and adult-aged children
When: 11th January - 31st March 2021
Online: http://ex.ac.uk/BigFarmingSurvey
Print: Request a printed copy from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please set aside 15 minutes to take part by responding to the printed survey or
completing the online form in Welsh or English.

 
iv) Research on the effects of bTB on mental health

Rebecca John, is a third year student at Aberystwyth University studying Agriculture and Business Management. As part of her studies she is completing a dissertation on ‘The impact of Bovine Tuberculosis on farmers mental health in Wales’. In order to collect data for her dissertation, she has created a short, anonymous questionnaire aimed at Welsh dairy and beef farmers so they can share their views on how Bovine Tuberculosis has impacted on their mental health. Due to the Coronavirus, she is restricted to solely sharing her questionnaire online, and therefore needs support to ensure sufficient numbers respond

Her questionnaire can be found here

v) Survey on farming, climate change and the environment

During a time of significant change for UK farming, Professor John Whitton and his team in the Centre for Sustainable Transitions (University of Central Lancashire) are asking farmers about their day to day experiences of living with the impacts of climate change. They will ask participants about the impact of extreme weather on land, livestock and crops, views on environment schemes and adaptations to climate change.

The survey is anonymous. However, if participants want to stay in touch and work with them further, they have the option to do so and will be put into the draw for a £25 Amazon voucher.

The survey can be found here and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Despite repeated promises by current and former Secretaries of State such as George Eustice, Michael Gove and Alun Cairns that Wales’ budget for agriculture and rural development would not be cut after Brexit - and a promise in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto that “...we will guarantee the current annual CAP budget to farmers in every year of the next Parliament” - on 25th November the UK Government announced that Wales would be allocated £242 million for the 2021-22 financial year - £95 million less than the £337 million received from the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy in 2019.

The UK Government insists it has not broken its promise as the sum of the £242 million and the EU money put to one side by the Welsh Government from the 2014-2020 CAP budget comes to £337.

However, the FUW has described the allocation as a ‘Brexit betrayal’ since the Welsh Government has every right under the EU’s ‘N+3’ rule to carry money over into the next budgetary period - and under normal circumstances this would not undermine subsequent budgets.

In addition to the £95 million deficit, the Welsh Government has yet to be allocated the £42 million which would normally have resulted from the 2020 15% ‘Pillar Transfer’.

Debates on the UK Agriculture Bill came to an end when it received Royal Assent on 11th November and became The Agriculture Act 2020 following months of discussions and ‘ping pong’ between the House of Commons and House of Lords.

The Act outlines how future support for English farmers will be delivered as the UK leaves the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, while also setting out legislation relating to a broad range of agricultural and rural issues of relevance to Wales and the UK - including granting temporary powers to Welsh Ministers until a Welsh Agriculture Bill is brought forward.

Despite having had the most attention in relation to safeguarding Britain’s standards on food safety and animal welfare, an amendment put forward to require agricultural and food imports after Brexit to meet equivalent domestic standards was defeated.

Whilst the Agriculture Bill has finished being debated, the legal safeguards could still be incorporated into the new Trade Bill, which is still making its way into the report stage at the House of Lords.