During Spokesperson’s Questions to Labour’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, criticised the Welsh Labour Government and the UK Labour Government for their continued failure to support the agriculture sector and Wales’ farming communities.
With farmers in the dark and reluctant to build their hopes up regarding the rumoured partial U-turn on the Agricultural Property Relief tax (Family Farm Tax), Mr Kurtz said there is still no clarity from the Welsh Labour Government on its position regarding Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief. He argued that the Welsh Government has a duty to stand up for Welsh farmers and make strong representations to the UK Government on their behalf.
Mr. Kurtz also raised concerns regarding the Government’s inability to tackle Bovine TB, ignoring the science and not using every tool available in the toolbox to eradicate this horrific disease. Additionally, the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone regulations, with today, 15th October, marking the start of the closed period for grassland under those rules, despite the dry weather, perfectly illustrating the absurdity of this “farming by calendar” approach. Both policies showcase Labour’s reliance on rigid rules and red tape that ignore evidence and science.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said:
“Welsh farmers are deeply anxious about the family farm tax. If recent rumours are true and the UK Government does indeed raise the threshold, Welsh farmers deserve to know what representations have been made on their behalf by this Welsh Labour Government.
“Farmers are not just struggling with the family farm tax. Bovine TB continues to devastate farms across Wales. If the Welsh Government is serious about tackling Bovine TB, it must guarantee funding and fair compensation, not more empty promises. And as with their ‘farming by calendar’ approach to NVZ rules, it’s time for evidence-based policymaking, not box-ticking.
“On both sides of the M4, Labour is taking our farmers for granted. Only the Welsh Conservatives have a credible plan for agriculture, by scrapping the SFS and relacing it with a scheme designed for farmers that has food security at its core and increasing the Agricultural budget by £100m over the next Senedd term, only Welsh Conservatives are standing up for our farmers in Wales.”
