Council-owned farms make a valuable contribution to supporting food production and enabling young entrants into farming across Wales, says Montgomeryshire MS.
The potential sale of farms currently owned by Powys County Council continues to be a contentious subject. According to the Senedd Member for Montgomeryshire, Russell George MS, the current Liberal Democrat and Labour administration at Powys County Council has a target to sell £10 million worth of assets each year, which would likely include the sale of county farms.
The Welsh Conservatives have called on the Welsh Government to impose a moratorium on the sale of council-owned farms to protect Wales’s food security, preserve farming traditions, and provide critical options for young entrants into the farming sector. A recent Welsh Conservative debate in the Senedd stressed the importance of safeguarding essential agricultural assets, which have steadily dwindled in recent years as councils seek short-term financial gains.
Russell George MS spoke in the Senedd debate on the crucial role council-owned farms play in Wales’s agricultural future:
“As a representative of Montgomeryshire, a constituency with a significant farming community, I see first-hand the value of council-owned farms in supporting local food production and enabling young people to enter farming. Without these farms, this crucial entry point would be shut off to so many, meaning fewer farmers would be producing food and caring for the countryside. It’s deeply concerning that some local authorities have already started selling off these key assets, and that many council farm estates across Wales have gradually declined, losing holdings to short-term financial pressures.
‘’If county farm estates are managed correctly by local authorities, they have the potential to really help drive the local economy and help young people into the industry.
“This comes following the UK Government’s budget, which has introduced a new tax on the family farm. The new tax does not encourage or support our farmers to produce Welsh food. In fact, the change to inheritance tax rules risks marking the end of the family farm.
“I was disappointed that the Welsh Labour Government didn’t support our motion and, in doing so, refused to back a significant avenue to support young farm entrants.”
Also commenting, NFU Cymru’s tenants’ spokesperson, Elwyn Evans, said:
“The council farm system is a valuable means for young people and new entrants to the sector to gain a foothold in the agricultural industry, and as such, they are an important national asset. Whilst we understand the considerable financial pressures that local authorities are under, we believe that selling off the council farm estate in order to meet short-term financial needs is misguided.
‘’Not only do council farms offer a valuable means for individuals starting out in farming to get into the sector, but they also make an important contribution to the rural economy and are an ongoing revenue stream for local authorities. They are therefore an asset that should be prized and retained.”
Ends//
The motion debated (16/10/2024) read as follows:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises the valuable contribution that council-owned farms play in supporting food production and enabling young entrants into farming.
2. Regrets that selling council-owned farms risks reducing Wales’s food security and traditional farming practices, causing a shifting towards less sustainable practices.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to impose a moratorium on the sale of council-owned farms owned by local authorities in Wales.
Full Welsh Conservative debate can be read here: https://record.senedd.wales/Plenary/14142?lang=en-GB#A91280
