Wales' new rural affairs minister says government is listening to farmers who protested

The Welsh Government's new cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, has pledged to listen to farmers after months of unrest.

In his first interview since taking on the role, Mr Irranca-Davies told ITV Cymru Wales that he realises concerns from the agricultural industry, but scrapping the sustainable farmers scheme (SFS) would be "the worst thing to do".

The new scheme is designed to make the industry greener by requiring farmers to plant 10% of their land with trees and use another 10% as wildlife habitat to qualify for subsidies.

However, many farmers are strongly opposed to the policy, arguing it could result in lower food production levels and job losses.

Farmers' unhappiness with the plans culminated in a protest outside the Senedd where more than 3,000 turned up to make sure their voices were heard.

Since then, First Minister Vaughan Gething has taken over from Mark Drakeford, with a new rural affairs minister now in place.

Mr Irranca-Davies said: "Farmers need to run businesses, but they also know the key role that they have to do in playing our part in responding to increasingly traumatic weather and climate change impacts."

It comes as a Freedom of Information request by ITV Wales found more than £50,000 was spent on policing the protest against the Welsh Government's controversial policy.

Livestock farmer Liam Price organised the protest. He said he wanted to see the new cabinet secretary make it a priority to look at the SFS.

"The biggest thing is he needs to look at every individual farm," said Liam. "Some farms can do 10% [tree cover], some farms can't."

Liam says he is unconvinced that a new face in the cabinet will lead to new ideas, and he says another protest is in the works.

"There will definitely be another one because we are planning another one," he said.

"It is in [Mr Irranca-Davies'] best interest to look at everything as quickly as he can and to try and get some changes."

But Mr Irranca-Davies said further upheaval would be the worst outcome, admitting that while there were "knotty areas" in the proposals, the worst thing for farmers would be to "throw it up in the air and start again".

"That gives them additional uncertainty, on top of the additional uncertainty that has been caused by the withdrawal from the EU," he said, before adding that the Welsh Government had noted concerns from the sector.

"Farmers don't easily leave their land and drive up Cardiff to stand on the steps of the Senedd and speak with Senedd members in the numbers that there were.

"They came from all parts of Wales - all types of farming as well. They want us to listen and we are listening, we genuinely are."

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