Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has called on Welsh Ministers to bring more details to the National Assembly regarding the designation of Welsh moorland for the purposes of CAP payments.
The AM who is also the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, made the call following concerns from Welsh farmers who believe that they will be financially penalised under new Welsh Government arrangements to pay farmers for agricultural activity, as part of the Common Agriculture Policy’s Basic Payments Scheme.
Last January, the Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies AM, announced that EU farm subsidies would be based on land classifications, with payments for “unproductive” moorland falling to around 10% of the rates payable elsewhere.
However, the current designation of moorland – which is defined as land over 400m or 1,312ft – was initially mapped in 1992 for the purpose of the voluntary Moorland Scheme and some local farmers in Montgomeryshire have questioned whether the original classification was sufficiently accurate.
Farmers are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce an objective definition of moorland, as well as a clear appeals process that allows farmers to challenge the designation and have their land removed from the 1992 map if it did not meet the original definition.
In calling for a Ministerial Statement, Mr George said:
“Since January, I’ve had more and more local farmers raise this issue with me and I have to agree with their analysis that the current situation is simply illogical, unobjective and unfair.
“As one farmer fairly pointed out, he had no idea the mapping exercise in the early nineties was taking place and there was certainly no offer of an appeal against the incorrect categorisation of his land at that time.
“He also didn’t expect that 20 years later that categorisation would be used by the Government to cut his payments by 90%.
“It is clearly important that we have both an objective definition of moorland and an appeals process that allows land to be removed from the map if it did not meet that original definition, rather than opaque administrative process undertaken by officials.
“I know that other Assembly Members would be keen to hear further details from the Natural Resources Minister on this issue because all I can see if the current situation is upheld is just lengthily legal proceedings, which will only benefit the lawyers and not Welsh farmers.”
