NFU Cymru has accused the Welsh Government of ‘duping’ farmers. NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey made the comment while railing against further changes to Wales’ new agri-environment scheme Glastir, which were announced today. image expired

Letters will shortly begin to arrive with farmers who have applied for the scheme, advising them that the recommendations of the Glastir Independent Review Group (GIRG) have been approved by the European Commission and that the payment rate for the All Wales Scheme will rise from a basic rate of £28 to £34 per hectare in recognition of the increased costs of meeting scheme conditions. But there will not be a differential in favour of applicants from the Less Favoured Areas (LFA), as had been intended. Following on from this, applicants will have two weeks to decide whether to continue with their current application, to withdraw it or to change their application to include the new options ratified by the EC.

Mr Bailey criticised the changes, “The Glastir agri-environment scheme from the very outset has been based on shifting sands. As a consequence of the Union’s concerns over the scheme, an independent review group had been given narrow parameters to review and add prescriptions to the All Wales Element of Glastir to make it more appealing. The acceptance of these revisions was to be welcomed but it had also been widely understood that applicants who sign contracts next January (2012) would be allowed to amend these in the New Year. Now farmers effectively have two weeks to decide how to proceed, many of whom would require professional guidance, during this short period.

“It has taken Welsh Government two and a half years to appreciate that a differential in favour of the 80 per cent of Wales designated as Less Favoured is not possible. Just over a week ago at a meeting with the Deputy Minister Alun Davies AM, I raised my concerns over Glastir and was advised that only ‘i’s’ needed to be dotted and ‘t’s’ crossed. One week on, we find a fundamental change to the scheme. Frankly, I feel farmers have been duped. They will be confused and frustrated by another raft of changes. Change has been the only common theme since the scheme was first announced.”