The Welsh Affairs Committee has launched a short inquiry which seeks to explore how major policy changes could affect family farms in Wales.
The policy changes being considered include – but are not limited to – UK Government policy on international trade and free trade agreements, and legislation around climate change. The Committee will explore how these policy areas are likely to impact societal connections and traditions in farming communities, and look at what can be done to support communities, their culture and heritage.
As part of this short inquiry, the Committee is focusing on ‘family farms’ (small and medium sized farms, for example hill farmers) rather than large, industrial size farms.
Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said:
“International trade agreements and an ever-ambitious environment agenda have dominated much of UK Government policy over the last few months and years. However, it is crucial that we understand the impact they are having on ordinary people and communities who are just trying to make a living. We must make sure everyone benefits from these policy advances, and by looking at the impact on family farms, we hope to shine a light on how communities can prosper for generations and how their livelihoods can be safeguarded.”
Ben Lake MP, member of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said:
“I know that families across Ceredigion have serious concerns about the impact of certain policy decisions taken both in Westminster and in Cardiff, and what they might mean for the future of rural areas. I am therefore pleased that they will have an opportunity, through this inquiry, to make their voices heard and share any concerns they might have about the implications of the UK’s trade strategy on the future of Welsh farming.”
Further information can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1424/the-economic-and-cultural-impacts-of-trade-and-environmental-policy-on-family-farms-in-wales/
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