Success of collaborative working in Wales

Sue Evans, Director of Wales

(L-R) Dave Ashford and James Owen two Welsh officials who visited a dairy farm in north Wales discussing future farming schemes with the farmers on the ground. © GWCT Wales

Shaping the future of agri-environment schemes in Wales. Engaging with policymakers and politicians in Cardiff. Providing evidence and advice on the review of General Licences.

2019 was a year of building relationships and spreading the word. We attended regular stakeholder meetings organised by the Welsh Government throughout the year to feed into the development of a new agri-environment scheme. We also presented at other organisation’s events and to groups around the country. Our soils and biodiversity event in May on ‘How soils and biodiversity should fit into future schemes’ raised awareness of how the GWCT can contribute and inform policymakers.

We had a series of very useful one-to-one meetings with high level Welsh Government officials highlighting the GWCT’s 80 years of scientifically-developed practices. This was also an opportunity to ask for immediate funding to tackle ministerial announced climate emergency issues and biodiversity declines.

James Owen, the newly appointed Deputy Director for Land Management Reform, spent two days with our team in November. He visited Ty Newydd organic dairy farm in north Wales where Alastair Leake spoke about the future of agri-environment schemes and the importance of soil. The following day he visited Cruglas, a showcase mixed farm, part of the Cors Caron farmer group who have successfully got through the Expression of Interest phase of the Sustainable Management Scheme (SMS) application process. A presentation was also delivered by David Thomas from the Powys Moorland Partnership Project (SMS) highlighting the successes of the collaborative landscape-scale working approach to agri-environment management.

We are working with a number of farmers to develop trials and demonstration farms in Wales to further showcase solutions to the question we are being asked by many farmers in Wales: ‘How can we increase biodiversity on our farms above what we’ve delivered through years of agri-environment schemes?’

Wild Justice also launched challenges in Wales which caused Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to review General Licences with a new licence put in place in October. During NRW’s consultation process with stakeholders, we have repeatedly raised concerns over several proposed changes to the licences. Our scientific evidence, technical expertise and experience in practical management have not been taken into account nor referenced, and NRW’s scientific evidence review process and conclusions drawn from it are deeply flawed. There are several changes to the licences including rooks being removed from licences 001 and 004. NRW have also produced a list of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designated areas where the General Licences are not authorised and therefore no action can be taken within these areas or within 300 metres of their boundaries. For further information go to www.gwct.org.uk/wales.