Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones has discussed the UK’s position on the review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations.
As Ministers from across the EU gathered in Brussels for a meeting of the Council of Ministers, Elin Jones took the opportunity to reiterate her warning about the dangers of the UK Government’s call for a substantial cut to the CAP budget during the coming years.
The meeting was the first all-administrations meeting since the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland wrote to Defra setting out the priority areas they wanted the UK to pursue in the forthcoming negotiations.
Following the meeting, Elin Jones said:
“The CAP is essential to Wales – not just to the farmers who receive farm subsidies, but to the very fabric of rural Wales and to the continuation of food production. The UK Government is still arguing for a severe cut to the CAP budget over the coming years, and it was important to come to Brussels to reiterate my opposition to their policy.
“Throughout Wales, each year the CAP pays agricultural businesses some £280m through the Single Payment and £80m through agri-environment payments. This money not only keeps those businesses afloat, but also keeps hundreds of people in work and filters through to the wider community, such as shops, cafes and other suppliers of goods and services.
“The CAP Single Payment alone typically accounts for 80 to 90 per cent of farm business income in Wales. Without these subsidies, many farming businesses in Wales would not be viable, and I am determined to oppose the UK government’s efforts to take these payments away.”
