FARM unions have welcomed the appointment of Lesley Griffiths as the Welsh Government’s environment and and rural affairs secertary.
She takes on her new role having been Assembly Member for Wrexham since 2007 and in the last Welsh Government was Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty.
NFU Cymru president Stephen James said: “Lesley Griffiths joins us at a crucial time, with markets in difficulty and farm incomes under severe pressure so we very much look to her to hit the ground running. NFU Cymru in our election manifesto set out the key actions that this Government needs to take to support our industry and help us to deliver a productive, profitable and progressive agriculture industry in Wales.
“There are a number of issues that the new Cabinet Secretary must urgently address. In particular, the roll out of the Wales RDP, ensuring that it is used to support widespread investment in new technology on farms across Wales.
“The curse of bovine TB must also be prioritised through an eradication strategy which tackles the disease in both cattle and wildlife aswell as the need to use every opportunity to market and promote our quality Welsh food to new and existing markets.”
“The threat of new Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) loom large over parts of Wales. Farms potentially affected see these zones having a significant economic impact on their businesses and this in turn will impact negatively on the wider rural economy. We ask that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs commits to no gold-plating of the Nitrates directive in Wales and ensures that the evidence base underpinning any proposals is robust and stands up to scrutiny. We look to a Government that makes policy decisions on the basis of sound science and that works with industry on achieving outcomes through a voluntary rather than regulatory approach.”
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “The FUW looks forward to working closely with the new Government in order to ensure priorities are met for rural Wales and Wales as a whole and we welcome the fact that our call for the appointment of a full cabinet member with responsibility for rural affairs has been heeded.
“With issues such as climate change and water management dominating agendas such as those listed in the Well-being of Future Generations Act, we are pleased to see Mrs Griffiths has been appointed to fight for the interests of our rural communities – communities for which agriculture is a cornerstone.”
Under the previous Welsh administration the agricultural portfolio was moved between ministers and deputy ministers a number of times following Welsh cabinet reshuffles.
“We have outlined our key concerns for the agricultural industry in our 2016 election manifesto and hope to see the new Environment and Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary deal with critical issues such as bovine TB and Nitrate Vulnerable Zones as a matter of urgency,” Mr Roberts said.