Meat production cost 'would treble without subsidy' says leader as councillors prepare to issue government plea
Producing meat would treble in cost if subsidies for farmers didn’t exist, a councillor has said.
At a meeting of Powys County Council (PCC) on Thursday, March 7, councillors debated a motion by Conservative councillor Lucy Roberts, asking the Welsh Government to pause and reconsider the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
The scheme has stoked much anger in Powys and throughout Wales, and has seen farmers take to the streets and steps of the Senedd in protest.
At the meeting, 29 of the 68 Powys councillors had to declare and interest in the item due to being farmers, being related or friends with farmers as well or working with the agricultural sector.
Clive Pinney, head of legal and monitoring officer, told these councillors they could take part in the debate but not vote on the motion.
The motion had been amended before being put to the councillors and said: “Powys County Council considers the current situation to be untenable and asks the Welsh Government to renew engagement with the farming unions, before re-approaching the agricultural sector, once serious amendments have been made to the Sustainable Farming Scheme.”
Independent councillor and farmer Edwin Roderick said: “The scheme is not fit for purpose.
“It has been drawn up by people with no knowledge of agriculture, no knowledge of cefn gwlad (countryside) and no knowledge of the culture.”
He believed that people don’t understand why farmers receive subsidies which was brought in by the 1947 Agriculture Act under Clement Attlee’s Labour Government which also founded the National Health Service.
Mr Roderick said: “The purpose at the time was to produce cheap food for people after the Second World War.
