Janet Hughes

[SilliamWhale]

Just announced Welsh Senedd.

Substantial funding made available as key agricultural schemes extended | GOV.WALES

More than £66 million is being made available by the Welsh Government to continue delivering positive environmental outcomes for Wales, a key part of maximising the protective power of nature through farming.

gov.wales

Sounds like they're not ready for a new scheme? Fair enough as it's been made complex

 

[BrianV]

Wasn't a consideration when they shut the coal mines, steel works etc.

Not anything like on the scale of farming however sad.

 

[teslacoils]

Food production definitely doesn't need support, it needs a fair price to the producer.

One may equally say the same applies to co2 producers. There's gas available. They just don't want to use it. Prices ought rise. Folk just pay more.

 

[Jimdog1]

I might be negative, but she did not fill me with any confidence.
Did not really say anything apart from 'we working with farmers to make a scheme to make farmers farm better. '

How many years they been running enviro schemes and still don't know what works and need more piolets..???

Will be another fudge up, but 1 that hardly pays to be in it I predict.

And ‘experts’, don’t forget them!

 

[neilo]

Sounds like they're not ready for a new scheme? Fair enough as it's been made complex

Maybe they’ve decided to sit back and watch the chaos unfold over the border, before deciding on anything?

 

[Grass And Grain]

Well done Janet and DEFRA for engaging directly with farmers, and for listening. A refreshing change, keep it up.

The need for stewardship land to be able to return to arable cropping after end of payments seems a common worry, and probably a barrier to entry.

I think the SFI is generally asking for too much, in return for too little. Resultantly, I think it will be a failure.

Need to be able to choose individual options, and payment rates higher. List of 20 prescription, choose up to 5 to get £100/acre. Then, each farm gets option of Mid-Tier stewardship up to a max value per acre of entered land. Job done.

At end of the day, as farmers, we need to be able to compete with EU farmers who get higher value area payments. If we can't compete we end up offshoring our food production to countries with lower environmental standards = fail.

Total rethink needed imho.

 

[fudge]

He’s my question. Why are Janet’s political masters hiding behind a civil servant?

 

[upnortheast]

I think before anybody goes much further with ELMS etc we need a commitment from government on the basics such as
…Livestock farming will always be seen as a key sector in the U.K.
…Acknowledge that intensive farming is also a key sector if we are to protect food supplies.
…Acknowledge that artificial fertilisers, plant protection products and internal combustion engines are an essential and necessary part of food production to secure food supplies.
….Acknowledge that we need agricultural production in the U.K. and should not rely on imports.
Get these basics right and we can maybe decide how much bird and pollenstor strip to sow etc. But fundamentally the priority should be a healthy and efficient food production system and I think farmers are actually doing a fairly good job of that despite all the obstacles thrown in our paths.

Good post
It can not be too difficult for someone in Defra to do a calculation along the lines of
65 m people to feed. say 30% import. Do that with 90% national ha So we can dick about with 10% in env schemes
Or 65m to feed say 20% import Need 100% of national Ha
Ok I know it's more complex than that but something like that must be the starting point of any policy I would have thought

 

[steveR]

He’s my question. Why are Janet’s political masters hiding behind a civil servant?

Cos George "I'm a Farmer" Eustace hasn't got the ability that Janet Hughes has??

I have heard her speak a couple of times now, met her and chatted at Groundswell, as well as heard here her here on TFF, and she is well on top of her brief/job. I might not agree with her, but she is mightly impressive.

Not so sure about the Minister....

 

[steveR]

Maybe they’ve decided to sit back and watch the chaos unfold over the border, before deciding on anything?

That'll be a First for the Senedd, getting an agri policy right??

 

[Courier]

I and many other farmers across the country took part in regional elms trials
Over 12 months after the collated data and feedback from farmers and area coordinators was sent to rpa/defra etc, an email was sent saying that due to staff shortages etc that there hadn't been time to look at the afore mentioned feedback, they admitted they hadn't even opened the emails
You couldn't make it up

Not really surprised by that, just goes to show the request for co-operation on ELMS trials and subsequently requested feedback was little more than a sop to the NFU to keep them quiet (In that respect It was a resounding success?)

 

[neilo]

That'll be a First for the Senedd, getting an agri policy right??

I have little confidence that they’ll get it right.

They’ll be waiting to see how they can make it Chaos II, with a Welsh twist to justify their existence.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I have little confidence that they’ll get it right.

They’ll be waiting to see how they can make it Chaos II, with a Welsh twist to justify their existence.

What would be right though?

 

[fudge]

Cos George "I'm a Farmer" Eustace hasn't got the ability that Janet Hughes has??

I have heard her speak a couple of times now, met her and chatted at Groundswell, as well as heard here her here on TFF, and she is well on top of her brief/job. I might not agree with her, but she is mightly impressive.

Not so sure about the Minister....

I don’t doubt you are right but most of the questions are about policy rather than technical details. How can a civil servant respond to questions about policy contradictions without political guidance?

 

[neilo]

What would be right though?

Capping all payments at 328ac, with no payments on any individual land parcels over 17ac (thus no need to hedging/fencing grants, subdivision would be done anyway). There should be extra top ups for those that farm sustainably, with mixed enterprises, and using older kit that has already repaid it’s carbon debt from manufacturing.

Quite simple really.

 

[Bossfarmer]

Food production definitely doesn't need support, it needs a fair price to the producer.

which it wont get therefore gov support is needed, you forget the power of supermarkets and fert companies

 

[Steevo]

Capping all payments at 328ac, with no payments on any individual land parcels over 17ac (thus no need to hedging/fencing grants, subdivision would be done anyway). There should be extra top ups for those that farm sustainably, with mixed enterprises, and using older kit that has already repaid it’s carbon debt from manufacturing.

Quite simple really.

You forgot "Payments only to be made to claimants called Neil".

 

[Yale]

You forgot "Payments only to be made to claimants called Neil".

I’d have to change my name by d poll then…….

 

[Bill the Bass]

I just find it difficult to take the seriously, ‘we don’t want to subsidise food production and we want you to be more sustainable by not using fertilisers’. Remind me exactly what have they done today by bailing out CF?

Why do they insist on treasuring is as if we zip up the back?