Wyn Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Candidate for Montgomeryshire has challenged the Rural Affairs Minister on her failing Glastir programme.
Wyn voiced the concerns of thousands of farmers across Montgomeryshire on the flagship S4C Welsh debate programme ‘CF99’.
Before Christmas the Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones had to embarrassingly admit that fewer than 3000 farmers had applied to join Glastir, well short of the 10,000 that the Minister aspired to and less than 19% of 15,325 who ticked to express their interest on their Single Farm applications.
Glastir is burdensome and bureaucratic at a time when farmers need all the help they can get instead of having to fill in endless Labour-Plaid government forms. Farming unions have also voiced their concerns over the failing agri-environmental scheme.
Mr Williams said: “The Labour-Plaid Government has bungled from one rural issue to another starting with the doomed-to failure Glastir agri-environmental scheme. Farmers across Montgomeryshire and Wales want a non-bureaucratic system of managing their farmland where they don’t have to fill in complicated forms and jump through hoops.
“I took the Plaid Cymru Rural Affairs Minister to task about her poor handling of farm payments live on national TV. The farmers of Wales have a right to know that their interests are not being looked after by this Plaid Cymru government Minister.
“As a local farmer and one who understands the needs of rural Wales, I will fight for farmers if the minister is unwilling.”
Picture: From left to right Elin Jones, Plaid Cymru Rural Affairs Minister, Steve James, Deputy President of the NFU and Wyn Williams, Liberal Democrat Assembly Candidate for Montgomeryshire.
