CAMPAIGNWales agriculture
Wales’ farmers urged to follow Unite
Scaremongering by right over subsidy scheme
Farmers’ protests in Wales drew thousands of people, who descended in Cardiff in February and May to speak out against a future Welsh agricultural subsidies scheme.
Many of the protestors brandished placards reading ‘No Farmers, No Food’. It may be a compelling slogan, but some groups coalescing around the strapline are anything but. They include people with no farming background peddling what many view as online conspiracy theories on climate change, Covid vaccinations and other far-right messages.
Despite the campaign’s dubious associations, many Welsh farmers have taken inspiration from No Farmers, No Food, with the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) one target of their collective ire.
Following the protests, the Welsh government delayed the scheme’s implementation from 2025 to the following year.
So what exactly is the SFS, and why has it apparently provoked so much anger? In a nutshell, the SFS was designed to replace EU farming subsidies, which are set to be phased out between 2025 and 2029. Through the SFS, farmers will be paid to carry out actions that promote sustainable land management, with some actions being mandatory and others optional for additional payments.
Unite activist and countryside contractor Ivan Monckton is both aghast and dismayed by the protests against the SFS.
26 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2024
He believes the scheme is poorly understood, and he worries that farmers are being seduced by far-right extremists jumping on the bandwagon to further their own agenda.
‘‘
There’s lots of misinformation out there. It’s in everybody’s interests that the farming sector thrives and goes forward – Unite will be fighting tooth and nail to make sure that happens
Jo Galazka, Unite Wales equalities officer
‘‘
Getty Images
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
