Flintshire farmers raise concerns and key issues with Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sergeant

Flintshire farmers have recently met with Alyn and Deeside MS, Jack Sergeant, to discuss the key issues affecting the industry.

During the meeting, which took place at Beeches Farm in Saltney Ferry,

Mr Sergeant listened to the concerns of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) members, who raised several important issues facing the agriculture sector in Wales.

One of the main issues discussed was the rising input costs, which have increased significantly over the past year.

John Wrench, a FUW member who hosted the event, said, “The cost of feed, fuel, and fertiliser are putting pressure on almost all farm businesses, and with milk prices beginning to drop recently, it’s a worrying time.”

Another issue that was raised was the Water Resource (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations, particularly the closed period regulation.

From August 2024, the spreading of slurry will be banned during set closed periods, even if the weather conditions are unfavorable.

FUW members argued that these regulations would be more effective if they took into account external factors, such as rainfall, and allowed farmers to use common sense.

In response, the FUW has called for the regulations to be delayed, so the Welsh Government can consider alternative technological solutions to certain regulations.

The concerns around the Agriculture (Wales) Bill and the Sustainable Farming Scheme were also raised during the meeting, with FUW Flintshire

County Chairman, Melvyn Vaughan, saying, “It’s vitally important that the Bill provides economic security for family farms in Wales.”

Overall, the meeting provided a platform for Flintshire farmers to voice their concerns to Mr Sergeant and highlight the challenges faced by the agriculture industry in Wales.

The FUW will continue to work towards finding solutions to these challenges and promoting the interests of farmers across the country.

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