The announcement by Welsh Government Minister of Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths, that a dedicated all-Wales Rural and Wildlife Crime Coordinator role will be established, has been welcomed by the Farmers’ Union of Wales. 

In her announcement, the Minister agreed to provide funding for the 12 month pilot role and has written to the Chief Constables of the 4 Welsh police forces and the Police and Crime Commissioners seeking their cooperation and support to appoint an all-Wales Rural and Wildlife Crime Coordinator.

Responding to the news, FUW Deputy President Ian Rickman said: “This is good news for our rural and farming communities who continue to suffer the effects of rural and wildlife crime. At a recent livestock worrying webinar, hosted by the FUW and Wales YFC, we heard first hand about the challenges our police forces face in order to deal with such crimes effectively and the devastating impact such crimes have on our farmers.”

Mr Rickman added that whilst police forces in Wales have made great progress over the years and the North Wales rural crime team have provided a blueprint for excellence, a Wales wide effort in tackling rural crime should not be delayed.

“Rural and wildlife crime costs the industry dearly every year - financially and emotionally. We must learn the lessons from those police forces who have already made great strides in tackling rural and wildlife crime and adopting an all Wales approach will go a long way in effectively tackling the issues police forces deal with on a force by force basis,” he said. 

Farmers’ Union of Wales President Glyn Roberts has stressed the need for clarity on funding for Welsh agriculture at a roundtable meeting with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice MP.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Roberts said: “We currently have no clarity on what budget the Welsh Government will be able to assign to agricultural funding from 2023 onwards, which creates uncertainty about the continuity of BPS and the transition to a new Sustainable Farming Scheme. This is in addition to the £137 million cut that Wales has seen to it’s agricultural funding, which will begin to take effect next year.

“What we need are reassurances about this budget and if or when a multi-year settlement might be given as opposed to a one year budget.”

Responding to the question, George Eustice MP told delegates that the budget allocation was annual for now, given the disruption caused by Covid. However, he was hopeful that this autumn there would be a funding review which would provide a five year budget. He further stressed the UK Government will abide by their commitment to funding promises made and that funding will stay the same as when the UK left the EU, adding that it will be frozen at the level it was in December 2019.  

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has described the UK Government’s decision to allow imports from the EU to circumvent checks until the autumn as a blow for many UK producers, and an own goal in terms of the UK’s negotiating position over improvements that would help UK exporters.

While thorough checks have been in place for UK food exports to the EU since 1st January 2021, equivalent checks on food products imported from the EU were due to be introduced from 1st April following a transition period to allow importers to adjust to the UK’s departure from the EU Single Market. 

However, the UK Government announced yesterday (11th March) that pre-notification requirements for products of animal origin, certain animal by-products and high risk food not of animal origin would not be required until 1st October 2021. Export health certificate requirements for meat and dairy products and certain animal by-products will come into force on the same date, while a range of other requirements have been delayed until 2022.

The importance of protecting livestock assets on farms with the right insurance policy was highlighted at a recent livestock worrying webinar, hosted by the Farmers’ Union of Wales and Wales YFC.

FUW Insurance Services Account Executive Gwenno Davies told delegates that a minor addition to existing sheep cover could cost as little as £3 a year and cover the financial burden of losses incurred due to a livestock attack. 

“Whilst an insurance policy for such incidents doesn’t take away the heartache of the incident or the stress of dealing with the situation, knowing that it won’t negatively impact you financially can be a relief. All farm businesses are different so a client would need to check their insurance policy specifically. But to add the extra cover for such a low cost, should be considered especially for that piece of mind,” said Gwenno Davies.