The Shaping Welsh Farming’s Future: NFU Cymru’s Policy Priorities For Common Land document outlines the specific challenges and opportunities for Welsh farmers with common land at this time of agricultural policy reform in Wales.
Valuable grazing
Almost 10% of agricultural land in Wales is registered common land, providing valuable grazing for right holders – farm businesses which are vital to the rural economy, particularly in Wales’ upland areas.
Managed by farming families over centuries, common land is also important to wider society for the ecosystem services and well-being benefits it provides and is a key feature of our cultural heritage, language and traditions.
Given the importance of common land to Wales, the NFU Cymru LFA Board established a Common Land Focus Group to consider how the changing policy landscape will affect Welsh farmers with common land at this time of unprecedented change.
Key recommendations
The Shaping Welsh Farming’s Future: NFU Cymru’s Policy Priorities For Common Land proposes a number of key recommendations aimed at ensuring future policy frameworks enable common land rights holders to continue delivering benefits for the people and communities of Wales.
NFU Cymru Less Favoured Area (LFA) Board Chair Kath Whitrow said: “Common land is a vital resource to those farm businesses who hold common land rights, to the rural economy - particularly in Wales’ upland areas - and to wider society for the multiple benefits it provides. Common land also plays an invaluable role in our cultural heritage, language and traditions. Its ongoing management is central to the delivery of Welsh Government’s climate, biodiversity and wider objectives.
Accessible for all
“Given the significance of common land to Wales, Welsh Government’s proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme should be accessible to all common land right holders. Common land right holders should be able to access the three proposed tiers of support: the universal, optional and collaborative action layers.”
“Without appropriate policy interventions and support through future agricultural policy the economic position of Welsh farm businesses who manage common land is threatened. Further losses of the proactive management by grazing, so central to the condition of common land, could occur.
Providing stability
“As a result, NFU Cymru believes that Welsh Government, through its future agricultural policy, needs to ensure the multiple economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits delivered by farmers with common land are safeguarded for the future. Key to this will be providing stability to underpin farming and food production on common land, this can only occur if common land is eligible for support through the baseline stability support measure.
“Our Shaping Welsh Farming’s Future: NFU Cymru’s Policy Priorities For Common Land brings the needs of Welsh common land rights holders to the fore. We hope the key recommendations put forward by the NFU Cymru Common Land Focus Group are taken on board by Welsh Government as its Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals are further defined.”