In this month’s Organic Forum blog, Haydn reflects upon his meeting with Secretary of State, Michael Gove, at the Royal Welsh Show 2017.
He writes:
The summer season is traditionally a time when most people, including politicians, take their holiday breaks. It is also a time when most agricultural shows are on display and, in Wales, the highlight is the Royal Welsh Show. This year, the show saw the visit of the Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove. I am pleased Mr Gove accepted an invitation to meet up with representatives of the organic sector, providing us with the opportunity to showcase some successful organic businesses as well as being able to discuss the challenges and opportunities our sector faces in a post-Brexit world.
We were able to discuss some of the complexities around the system of devolved government. At present, agriculture is devolved to the respective administrations in Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Before the show, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary (Leslie Griffiths) had just announced that she was not prepared to open a further organic window under the present RDP programme, making Wales unique to the other members. This came as a bitter blow to people thinking of converting to organic, as well as those already entered into conversion, as they would now be denied any form of assistance. NFU Cymru long requested such a window, but has been met with a number of similar responses. The sticking point would appear to be budgetary constraints and the 57% co-funding element.
The organic sector was therefore delighted to meet with the Secretary of State to discuss this and other core issues. Haydn Evans (NFU Cymru and deputy chairman of the Welsh Organic Forum) together with Adrian Blackshaw (Organic Trade Board), David Miles and David Edge (Calon wen milk, cooperative) were able to put a across their respective points. Together they informed Mr Gove of the strong continued growth in the market, and the existing opportunities that exist for the export market, given the right environment in which to operate. They also were able to point out the many environmental benefits of organic farming, made all the more poignant by the minister’s speech, some 24 hours beforehand, of which environmental matters were key note.
Mr Gove was particularly pleased to hear of the recent success in obtaining, alongside Denmark, a European grant of €10m and the strategy now in-hand to develop the organic market further.
The difficult issue of equivalence was also discussed, and how this would work in the future throughout the devolved administrations, highlighting the present anomaly in Wales regarding access to funding.
The minister was urged to carefully consider the basic fundamentals of regulations and funding support within an overarching strategy that should be consistent throughout the UK that would be fair to farmers and growers, whichever devolved administration they work under.