Europe Watching Small Farms Fail

Small farms failing across Europe

9/3/2006

Glyn Davies, Welsh Conservative Chair of the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee of the National Assembly is spending two days visiting small farms on both sides of the border in Ireland, meeting Government representatives from the Irish Parliament and farming union leaders.

He will be joined by five members of the Irish Parliament. The Committee was established as part of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and further visits will be made to Poland and Scotland later this spring. A report will be prepared for the British and Irish Governments in the summer.

Commenting on the visit Glyn Davies, who is a partner in a farming business in Mid Wales, said:

"Small farms have been the backbone of rural life for centuries and have given stability to culture, language and community. The whole structure is falling apart across Europe as small farms become unviable and are amalgamated with other farm businesses which are becoming ever larger. European Governments must understand what is happening and what the impact of this change will be.

Later this year, our Committee, which is made up of Members of the Westminster, Scottish and Irish Parliaments as well as myself representing Wales will publish our report. It already seems inevitable to us that the process of losing full time small farms will continue. If we want to retain small farms it will only be with the help of diversification or through work off the farm by a member of the farmer's family.

The two farms visited were at Ballyconnell in the Irish Republic and Enniskillen in Northern Ireland.

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