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GENERAL
ELECTION
MANIFESTO
2015
1
FUW GENERAL ELECTION
MANIFESTO 2015
President:
Emyr Jones
Deputy President:
Glyn Roberts
Vice President:
Brian Walters
Vice President:
Richard Vaughan
Vice President:
Brian Thomas
Finance and
Organisation
Committee North and
South Wales Members:
Eifion Huws
Brian Bowen
Dear Colleague,
Since the last general election took place at the height of the financial crisis, we have
seen numerous positive developments in terms of recovery, but widespread debate
continues about where best to strike the balance between paying off the national deficit,
ensuring economic growth and protecting vital services.
Meanwhile, over the past five years the political landscape has changed beyond
recognition – both domestically, in terms of the growing power of smaller parties and the
prospect of our departure from the EU, and globally, with the return of cold-war-style
politics and the rise of an Islamic extremist state.
While the impact of the financial crisis on our economy as a whole has been severe,
there can be no doubt that in rural Britain and many of our urban areas the effect has
been buffered by the core role agriculture has played in generating income for
communities the length and breadth of the UK. Put simply, agriculture is the
powerhouse of the rural economy, generating billions of pounds which benefit a host of
industries, including many not directly associated with agriculture.
Yet the importance of agriculture is all-to-often ignored, and as the strengthening
Sterling-Euro exchange rate has undermined agriculture and other industries we have
seen the benefits of a recovering economy being undermined not only in rural towns
and villages, but also in those areas where manufacturing for export plays a key part in
the local economy – impacts which would be far worse were it not for lower fuel prices.
For the dairy sector in particular, such pressures have been exacerbated by the knockon effect of the Russian embargo on EU food – a timely reminder in an uncertain world
that controlling the movement and availability of food is a weapon used by leaders since
time immemorial, to bargain, threaten and compel opponents.
As such, the role farming plays in maintaining our natural environment and rural
communities, coupled with the importance of maintaining and strengthening those
political frameworks which protect our food security, mean agriculture, and in particular
the family farm, should be high up the agenda for any future Government.
While advances in the devolution process have reduced the number of Welsh
agricultural issues over which our Members of Parliament have a direct influence, there
remain numerous overarching UK policies that have a direct impact on Welsh
communities, and the FUW’s concerns and aspirations regarding the most significant of
these are highlighted in this manifesto.
The FUW is not affiliated to any political party and therefore has a duty to work with both
the Government of the day and the opposition parties, irrespective of their political
persuasions.
For the period of the next Parliament and beyond the FUW is therefore committed to
lobbying all those in Westminster to ensure that agriculture and family farms receive the
attention and respect that they warrant – for the sake of all our futures.
Yours faithfully
Emyr Jones
President
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MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION
While it is concerns regarding immigration which have been the main driver behind the
rise in anti-EU feeling, these have merely added to longstanding frustrations about the
impact of EU Regulations in terms of unnecessary bureaucracy and a loss of
sovereignty.
As often as not, the blame for many problems is misplaced, and the real culprits are UKbased administrations which have gold-plated the rules or failed to take advantage of
available derogations. However, concerns regarding the overzealous and proscriptive
nature of many rules and requirements which originate in Brussels are well founded, as
are those regarding the dangers of moving towards a federalised Europe.
Such concerns must of course be balanced against the benefits of membership of the
EU, and the dangers of exiting a market upon which so many industries – not least
agriculture – are currently dependant.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales shares many of the frustrations of those who believe
radical change is needed in order to address the unnecessary bureaucracy and rules
which emanate from Brussels, often backed up by European auditors who have little or
no grasp of common sense and equality.
However, we also recognise the value of remaining a part of one of the largest common
markets and trading blocks in the world, and the irreparable damage caused to farm and
food businesses as a result of our exclusion from the EU market during the BSE and
Foot and Mouth disease crises stand as testament to the dangers of being locked out of
Europe.
One of the cornerstones upon which the EU was built is the Common Agricultural
Policy, aimed at ensuring plentiful food supplies at affordable prices and fair incomes for
farming communities. With the world population expected to rise to between nine and
ten billion by 2050, predicted reductions in global agricultural productivity per hectare
and recent developments in the middle east and in relation to Russia and the Ukraine,
food security remains as important an issue as ever.
Such concerns, coupled with the need for appropriate actions which balance food
production against environmental considerations, mean that mitigating climate change
without compromising food security is one of the most significant long term challenges
facing mankind.
There can be little doubt that joined up policies between Governments are needed to
address these issues, and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), by design, provides
just such a framework, allowing Europe to react to the imminent challenges that growing
populations, global warming, rising sea levels, and peak oil represent in terms of food
security.
The FUW therefore looks to a future UK Government which would

Support membership of the EU while working to reduce the bureaucratic
burdens and restrictions associated with EU Regulations

Ensure that any renegotiation of powers does not further undermine the
Common Agricultural Policy or place farmers in the UK at an unfair
disadvantage compared to those in other Member States

Recognise the central importance of the CAP as a mechanism by which the
major environmental and food production challenges of our age can be
addressed
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Land Use &
Parliamentary
Committee Chairman:
Gavin Williams
Livestock, Wool & Marts
Committee Chairman:
Dafydd Roberts
Milk & Dairy Produce
Committee Chairman
Dei Davies
Hill Farming & Marginal
Land Committee
Chairman:
Ian Rickman
Diversification
Committee Chairman:
Eurwin Roberts
Tenants Committee
Chairman:
David V Williams
Agricultural Education
& Training Committee
Chairman:
Alun Edwards
Common Land
Committee Chairman:
Dilwyn John
Animal Health and
Welfare Committee
Chairman:
Catherine Nakielni
Younger Voice for
Farming Committee
Chairman:
Darren Williams
Arable, Horticulture and
Cropping Committee
Chairman:
John Savins
RURAL ECONOMY
Farm Business Survey figures demonstrate that each year the average Welsh farm can
inject upwards of £100,000 into the wider economy, benefiting a vast array of
businesses including many not directly associated with agriculture.
Head Office:
Llys Amaeth
Plas Gogerddan
Aberystwyth
SY23 3BT
Tel: 01970 820820
Fax: 01970 820821
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.fuw.org.uk
As such, farming continues to be the bedrock of rural areas, both socially and
economically, and there can be no doubt that the impact of the financial crisis has been
buffered by the core role agriculture has played in generating income for communities
the length and breadth of the UK.
Since 2011, Welsh farm incomes have fallen significantly, reaching an average of
£22,200 in 2014-15, with hill livestock farm incomes down to just £15,000 – falls which
will have a significant consequence for the wider rural economy and should be a major
concern for all political parties.
In addition to other problems faced in rural areas such as remoteness from key facilities,
higher costs of housing, fuel and other necessities, funding cuts can have an
exaggerated impact particularly on key services such as emergency services.
The FUW calls on the next Government to

Recognise that agriculture is the single most important industry in terms of the
rural economy, and place a greater emphasis on protecting farm incomes

Take steps to ensure that rural areas across the UK are not disproportionately
impacted by cuts to key services due to their remoteness

Address the issue of disproportionate vehicle taxation in rural areas by
introducing a system that properly distinguishes between those who drive fourby-four vehicles as a matter of necessity, and those who do so as a lifestyle
choice

Extend the Rural Fuel Rebate Scheme to Wales to reflect the fact that our rural
communities are reliant on cars and pay some of the highest fuel prices in the
country

Increase the thresholds for inheritance tax and allowances

Extend the increased Annual Investment Allocation (AIA) limit beyond 2015

Recognise the difficulties of online submissions for many in rural areas and
allow alternative arrangements for the foreseeable future
WORLD TRADE
International commerce, through trade agreements and other mechanisms, has brought
huge advantages to many of the world’s nations and peoples, and has served to
significantly stabilise international relationships over the past sixty years.
However, globalisation at the pace seen over recent years has also brought with it many
problems, not least the accelerated destruction of some of the world’s most precious
habitats and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and the belief that rapid and
uncontrolled trade liberalisation is, by definition, a force for good has been shown to be
naïve.
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In 2009, Belfast’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research analysed the likely impact for
UK agriculture of liberalising current EU rules on food imports. Their work predicted falls
in UK farm incomes and food production which would have dire consequences for our
rural communities, completely undermine our food security, and increase global
deforestation and food transportation.
The FUW does not believe that such impacts are in the interests of the UK, Europe, or
the globe, and would therefore urge a future Government to

Abandon current UK policies that advocate trade liberalisation which would
have an adverse impact on agricultural sectors

Ensure that food security, rural incomes, and local food production needs are a
priority for Europe at future World Trade Organisation negotiations
Anglesey
Executive Officer:
Heidi Williams
Tel: 01248 750250
Brecon and Radnor
Executive Officer:
Aled Jones
Tel: 01982 554030

Work to ensure that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership does
not in any way undermine the UK’s already vulnerable agricultural industry
Caernarfon
Executive Officer:
Gwynedd Watkin
Tel: 01286 672541

Advocate trade policies which promote appropriate global commerce which
provides fair incomes for all rural communities and empowers family farms, as
opposed to multinational companies
Carmarthen
Executive Officer:
David Waters
Tel: 01267 237974
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Research and Development has always been a vital component of a thriving agricultural
sector. In future, the need for technological advancement to improve production, feed an
expanding population whilst reducing inputs and mitigating climate change underlines
the need for significant public investment into agricultural research.
For many years research has been focussed on lowland agriculture, with genuine
agricultural research in upland areas, such as those which dominate Wales, remaining
largely ignored. Yet such areas have a key role to play in producing food, as they have
done for thousands of years, and policies which have reduced the agricultural viability of
upland areas have been shown to have had a negligible and often detrimental impact on
ecosystems.
Whilst the private sector has played an increasingly important role in meeting the
investment gap, there is concern that some areas are dominated by the agrochemical
multinationals. This has often led to concerns that research priorities could be profit
driven in a manner which is detrimental to the overall public interest.
In light of these concerns, the FUW believes that the next Government should:

Boost research into all areas of agriculture in a manner that properly reflects
the importance of agriculture in terms of food security, the environment and
climate change

Increase funding for agricultural research into upland farming, with a particular
emphasis on upland crops and restoring pasture productivity

Move to curb the dominance of the major agrochemical companies over
important areas of research such as GMOs by increasing funding for research
into areas that are of public benefit
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Ceredigion
Executive Officer:
Caryl Wyn Jones
Tel: 01545 571222
Denbigh/Flint
Executive Officer:
Mari Jones
Tel: 01824 707198
Glamorgan
Executive Officer:
Rachel Saunders
Tel: 01446 774838
Gwent
Executive Officer:
Glyn Davies
Tel: 01873 853280
Merioneth
Executive Officer:
Huw Jones
Tel: 01341 422298
Montgomery
Executive Officer:
Susan Jones
Tel: 01686 626889
Pembroke
Executive Officer:
Rebecca Voyle
Tel: 01437 762913
LOCAL PROCUREMENT
Research by the New Economics Foundation has shown that for every £1 spent on
seasonal, local ingredients, a further £1.19 of economic activity can be generated. Each
year, £2.4bn is spent by Government bodies on food, and while procurement of UK
agricultural produce by some Authorities has improved significantly over recent years,
there remain significant numbers which fail to support British agriculture, choosing
instead to accept produce from countries which often fail to meet the UK’s high
production standards.
The launch by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ of Sir Peter
Bonfield’s Plan for Local Procurement marked an important move towards distinguishing
between ‘cheapest’ and ‘best value’, and recognition that responsible procurement can
bring a range of benefits to wider society.
The FUW believes that the next Government should:

Further emphasise the benefits of local procurement and work to ensure that
the principles laid down in the Plan for Local Procurement are adhered to in a
way which results in investment in and benefits to UK businesses

Proactively encourage and facilitate public and private sector procurement of
UK produce in a manner that supports small, medium and large processors and
cooperatives

Instigate procurement policies which encourage the creation of new companies
and cooperatives which allow smaller businesses to tender for procurement, in
order to bring benefits in terms of local employment and redressing imbalances
that currently exist throughout the supply chain

Do so in a way which raises awareness of and confidence in UK produce, both
amongst UK citizens and visitors to the UK

Allow consumers to make honestly informed opinions regarding the provenance
of the food they buy by ensuring that EU Regulations 1337/2013 and 1169/2011
on country of origin or place of provenance are implemented appropriately
SUPPLY CHAINS
Successive changes to policies which govern competition within supply chains have
resulted in large companies dominating supply chains in a way that can be grossly
detrimental to others, particularly primary producers.
The cross-party support for the introduction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013
was therefore welcome. However, the FUW believes that there are also significant
grounds for changes to competition rules both within the UK and across the European
Union.
At a European level, moves to address imbalances along the supply chain have been
more proactive, and discussions have focussed on promoting a better functioning, more
equitable and transparent supply chain, with the central objective of ensuring that
consumers pay appropriate prices for food, while farmers, food producers and
distributors, get fairer payments for their activities.
The FUW believes that the next Government should:

Extend the powers of the Groceries Adjudicator to allow decisive actions to be
taken which addresses unfair practices throughout the entire supply chain
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
Review current UK competition rules, with a view to redressing the imbalance of
power that exist along the domestic supply chain in a manner that benefits
primary producers

Support moves at a European level to promote a better functioning, more
equitable and transparent supply chain, in order to ensure that consumers pay
appropriate prices for food, and that all those along the food chain receive
equitable payments for their products and services
ENVIRONMENT
Over thousands of years, agriculture has created a myriad of landscapes and
environments which define our national identity and play a key part in the physical and
mental wellbeing of millions of residents and visitors to the countryside each year.
While many recognise the central role agriculture plays in maintaining our countryside,
misconceptions regarding that relationship abound, often promoted by bodies and a
media which prefer to scapegoat agriculture rather than accept truths about our natural
world which they find unpalatable.
Meanwhile, there are those who are more overt about their contempt for agriculture and
the desire to replace our rural communities with an abandoned ‘wilded’ landscape –
moves which would have catastrophic impacts for our semi-natural environment and
rural economies.
Such ideas are recognised by most as belonging firmly in the era of colonialism, but
there is a real danger that such ideas have gained political purchase amongst some –
particularly where misinformation has reinforced existing prejudices about agriculture.
Yet with appropriate recognition of the role agriculture must play in providing food,
protecting the environment and negating climate change, farming has a central role to
play in helping the UK rise to the unprecedented challenges which face our world.
The Union urges the incoming Government to:

Recognise the key role agriculture plays in maintaining our landscape and
environment, and ensure that agriculture is not unfairly blamed for broader
environmental problems

Work pro-actively with the industry to ensure realistic, fair and proportionate
goals are set for agriculture, which are achievable by sustainable farming
practices

Ensure that environmental targets set for the farming industry do not result in
unfair competition and increased imports from countries which have far poorer
environmental standards than those which exist in the UK

Recognise the key contribution the industry makes in terms of local food
production, carbon sequestration and food security

Ensure that environmental regulations, if required, are proportionate, realistic
and not ‘gold plated’

Ensure that working partnerships and collaborative working between
Government and its Agencies is prioritised to reduce bureaucracy and
encourage positive engagement with the industry

Consider the emerging evidence on controlling methane through improved
grazing regimes rather than reducing livestock numbers

Increase Government support for existing and emerging forms of green energy
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ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE
Welsh farming remains proud of its consistently high standards of animal health and
welfare, and the industry contributes substantially to the overall cost of animal health
and welfare in Wales.
Despite increasing input costs and low profitability, primary producers have to bear
significant costs relating to public health and EU bureaucracy, despite overwhelming
evidence that many such measures are disproportionate, inefficiently implemented
and/or unsupported by the latest scientific evidence.
The FUW maintains that costs to industry should be minimised and remains
fundamentally opposed to a cost-sharing agenda which would further undermine the
viability of our farms.
Some of the most significant costs to industry and Government have, over the past two
decades, resulted from the introduction of exotic diseases into the farmed environment
in a manner which is beyond the control of farmers – with Foot and Mouth disease being
the most notable example.
In terms of tackling the major diseases affecting the agricultural sectors, significant
progress has been made in terms of establishing groups which will draw up and monitor
disease eradication programmes. However, recognition of the devolved nature of animal
health and the need to work closely with devolved administrations is often overlooked.
Similarly, moves aimed at ensuring appropriate monitoring of animal movements within
the UK have failed to properly respect devolved responsibilities and the need for joinedup approaches when it comes to the movement of animals between devolved regions –
most notably with regard to the creation of sheep movement databases.
The FUW therefore calls on the next UK administration to

Recognise the high standards of animal health and welfare which exist in
Wales, and ensure that costs pertaining to animal health, and any associated
bureaucracy, do not disadvantage Welsh producers in the European market

Work with other Member States to ensure that animal and human health and
welfare regulations are proportionate, efficiently implemented and supported by
the latest scientific evidence

Ensure that the devolution of animal health powers is properly recognised,
including where databases are developed which must monitor movements of
animals between devolved regions

Increase border controls in a way which significantly reduces the likelihood of
exotic diseases, such as Foot and Mouth disease, being introduced to the UK

Press the European Union to introduce measures to better control the
importation of foodstuffs from Third Countries where exotic diseases may be
present
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BOVINE TB
While the problem of bovine TB falls within the broader health and welfare category, and
issues relating to the disease are devolved to Wales, bTB policies implemented in
England by the UK Government have a significant impact on Wales and affect the
disease status of the UK as a whole.
Despite differing scientific opinions regarding the efficacy of badger culling, the
presence of TB in badgers is recognised by all credible scientists as a major obstacle to
the eradication of the disease.
Since the last election, the approaches adopted in England and Wales by the UK and
Welsh Governments have reversed, with Wales replacing a planned badger cull in north
Pembrokeshire with badger vaccination, and DEFRA’s decision to trial the free-shooting
of badgers in two areas of England.
While the Welsh Government’s own evidence suggested that vaccination would be
significantly less effective than badger culling, resulting in increased costs of £3.5
million, the outcome of the English trial remains uncertain, but anecdotal evidence
suggests a number of positive outcomes in terms of reducing TB outbreaks and
removing long term herd restrictions.
Given the significant financial and personal investments made in the English trials, the
FUW believes that they should continue under any future Government, and that
abandoning them would go wholeheartedly against the purpose of conducting such
trials, which is to improve the evidence base upon which key decisions in relation to TB
should be made.
As the localised culling of badgers continues to be the focus of much political debate,
the tens of thousands of cattle slaughtered each year and the strict cattle movement
controls aimed at reducing the spread of the disease attract far less attention.
Those controls differ significantly between England and Wales, and the Farmers’ Union
of Wales believes that there is significant scope for aligning cattle-control policies in the
two regions in a way which ensures proportionality while reducing the risk of cattle-tocattle transmission.
The FUW would look to the next UK Government to:

Ensure that the English badger culling trials are concluded, as originally
planned, in order to add to the evidence base in terms of the efficacy of badger
control policies

Immediately publish detailed statistics relating to TB incidences in the two
badger culling trial areas, and regular updates thereafter

Implement annual testing across England in order to improve disease
monitoring

Work with the Welsh Government to introduce uniform and proportionate premovement testing measures requiring compulsory pre-movement testing for all
cattle in England and Wales, with an exemption from this requirement for 60
days after a clear test for movements from high risk parishes or regions, and
180 days after a clear test for movements from low risk parishes or regions
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RED TAPE AND BUREAUCRACY
Agricultural trade now operates on a global scale, and farmers are currently hindered by
onerous regulations and administration costs which do not exist in the countries against
which we compete, despite the requirement for ‘equivalence’ for food imported into the
EU.
Despite commendable and successive initiatives by Governments at all levels to reduce
the burden of red tape, the overarching trend is towards increased bureaucracy and
costs for farmers and administrations alike.
Despite perceptions, the blame for the ever-increasing burden of regulation cannot
always be laid at the door of the European Union, and it is often the case that
Regulations are compounded by the ‘gold-plating’ of EU legislation, forcing additional
measures onto Welsh and UK agriculture relative to other Member States.
The FUW therefore believes that the next Government should:

Work closely with other Member States to reduce current bureaucracy and
prevent the introduction of further unnecessary and burdensome EU
Regulations

Press the European Union to enforce robust “equivalence” for all produce
imported into the EU, in order to reduce unfair competition

Increase communication between Whitehall, the Welsh Assembly Government,
Local Authorities and other statutory bodies in order to share collated
information and reduce the number of inspections for farm businesses

Examine and evaluate the current costs being imposed on the primary
producer, with a view to reducing unnecessary and disproportionate regulation

Make a concerted effort to ensure that all new and existing legislation is subject
to greater scrutiny in order to minimise the competitive disadvantage conferred
upon Welsh farmers competing in a European market against Member States
where directives are implemented more liberally
HUNTING WITH DOGS
Despite the conclusions outlined in Lord Burns’ report into hunting, which particularly
emphasised the need to take into account the adverse impacts a hunting ban would
have on farming and animal welfare in areas such as Wales, The Hunting Act was
passed by parliament and has now been in place for more than a decade.
Over the past twelve months, scientific evidence confirming the arguments presented by
the FUW has emerged which shows that the Hunting Act’s two-dog limit not only
compromises animal welfare but also undermines the ability to control foxes in areas
where pest control is essential to protect livestock and wildlife.
The FUW calls on the incoming UK Government to:

Revoke the Hunting Act in recognition of the adverse impacts the legislation has
on animal welfare, agriculture and wildlife

As a matter of urgency, and as a first step towards abolishing the Hunting Act,
vary Schedule 1 of the Act to remove the limit on the number of dogs which can
be used to flush animals from cover, and allow the use of dogs below ground to
protect farm livestock as well as game birds
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