SUPPORTING OUR FARMERS

A Plaid Cymru government, if elected in May, is committed to being a strong voice for Wales’s rural communities. For far too long, Labour Ministers have consistently undermined our vital agriculture industry by making Wales the most controlled country in Europe – a decision that took £250 million out of the pockets of Welsh farmers.

Plaid Cymru wants to put this right by bringing forward policies that will ensure that the industry prospers in future. Our agriculture manifesto includes ambitious but achievable proposals to address Labour’s CAP fiasco and make sure Welsh farmers have a stronger voice in CAP simplification discussions, and scrap the six-day-standstill rule which is hampering farm businesses at the very time we need more flexibility.

Plaid Cymru has a strong track record of supporting agriculture and campaigning for rural service. Plaid’s pledges for our farmers and the agricultural sector include:

•         A fair price for produce.
•      Maximize benefits to Wales from the next CAP.
•      Use the most effective measures to control and eradicate bTB
•      Appoint an Industry Champion to promote welsh food and farming.
•      Strengthen the voice of rural communities by establishing Rural Parliament.

The Party of Wales would also introduce a strategy to save council farms from being sold off, under a wider programme to support new entrants into the industry. As part of Plaid Cymru’s wider proposals to raise procurement levels throughout Wales, Plaid would ensure that the agriculture industry benefits from this by increasing the amount of Welsh food purchased by the public sector.