Plaid Cymru's Farming Manifesto

PLAID CYMRU

FARMING MANIFESTO The family farm is the cornerstone of Welsh agriculture. We want to create a thriving industry, and we will work with farmers to provide the support and resources needed to build sustainable and resilient farm businesses.

CAP reform and volatile markets are making business conditions difficult. We understand that businesses need stability and farmers must be given as much flexibility as possible to adapt to the new challenges they face. That is why Plaid Cymru opposed the 15% transfer from CAP Pillar 1 taking over a quarter of a billion pounds out of the pockets of Welsh farmers.

That’s also why we believe more must be done to reduce bureaucracy and unnecessary red tape.

Wales prides itself on our high standard of food production and Plaid Cymru is committed to growing our food and drink sector in Wales.

We are also committed to ensuring wider society understands and appreciates the key contribution farming makes to the economic, environmental, social and cultural prosperity of Wales.

Agriculture • Plaid Cymru will work to make sure the Common Agriculture Policy works for Welsh farmers and will ensure that all farmers receive their Basic Payments by the 1st of December 2015.

• We will ensure that Rural Development Programme funding is used effectively, particularly targeting on-farm investment to improve skills and strengthen infrastructure.

• We will ensure public bodies procuring food and drink source more of their products locally, supporting Welsh farmers and Welsh jobs.

• Plaid Cymru is committed to reducing bureaucracy within the farming industry. We will accelerate efforts to get rid of red tape for farmers starting with scrapping the 6 day standstill rule.

• We will protect Welsh dairy farmers by broadening the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to include dairy farmers and strengthen the Dairy Code which gives dairy farmers more protection in their contractual relations with milk processors.

• Plaid Cymru is concerned at the falling number of abattoirs operating in Wales and would work with abattoirs across the border to encourage them to open a Wales base while also encouraging and facilitating local enterprises seeking venture capital or co-operative ownership to re-open abattoirs across the country.

• We understand the importance of succession planning for farm businesses. Plaid Cymru will review the fiscal incentives that could help facilitate the introduction of the next generation of farmers into the industry. We will also support initiatives that encourage more young people into farming. These include the Young Entrants Support Scheme and more innovative land management techniques such as share farming.

• A farming nation such as Wales is well placed to lead the world on new innovations in animal health and welfare. Plaid Cymru supports the creation of a specialist research centre for this sector, eventually linked to the establishment of a veterinary school for Wales.

• We would review the planning rules to allow more on-farm development so that families can continue to live and work on the same farm when children grow up and raise their own families.

Promoting our Produce • Plaid Cymru will continue to promote Welsh food and drink domestically and internationally through the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. We want to increase the promotion of Welsh farm products by opening up new international markets to our high-quality produce.

• We will redouble efforts to add value to Welsh produce by increasing local processing – retaining the additional value and additional jobs in the Welsh economy.

• Plaid Cymru strongly supports the localisation of the food chain. This will reduce ‘food miles’, support local farms, processing facilities and farmers’ markets.

• Plaid Cymru will reform the Red Meat Levy rules to ensure the levy raised on Welsh livestock goes towards the promotion of Welsh produce. Current regulations mean that Hybu Cig Cymru loses out on £1 million per year that is vital to opening up new markets.

• We will continue to combat ‘food fraud’ through working closely between governments in the British Isles and at the European level to ensure that food quality standards are not breached, including opposing the lowering of quality thresholds as part of the EU-US trade negotiations.

• Plaid Cymru supports clear and unambiguous food labelling, particularly around country of origin.

• Plaid Cymru supports a GM-free Wales and we will seek guarantees about the impact of cross-pollination if the UK Government pushes ahead with plans to introduce GMO-crops in England.

• Plaid Cymru supports the Blue Growth strategy to strengthen the maritime and marine economy, linking with the land-based economy to produce added value through local markets and innovative products.

Our Rural Life • We are committed to delivering Superfast broadband to 100% of Wales to ensure everybody is connected and anybody can do business from home.

• It is also crucial to keep people connected outside of the home and Plaid Cymru would ensure wider access to 3G and 4G mobile data in rural areas and force networks to allow data roaming within Wales to ensure all parts of the country are connected.

• Plaid Cymru will fight to make sure rural Wales is brought into the EU’s Rural Fuel Rebate scheme which will deliver a 5p cut in the price of fuel to rural areas.

• We will protect the Universal Service Obligation for postal services so that letters and parcels cost the same wherever they are sent.

• Plaid Cymru will secure good access to healthcare in rural areas ensuring enough GPs are recruited.

• We are committed to ensuring good access to General Hospitals across all parts of Wales.

VOTE PLAID CYMRU FOR THE BEST DEAL FOR WALES ON MAY 7th 2015 Designed by Plaid Cymru, Marine Chambers, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff, CF10 4AL Printed by