A11 Views of interested organisations.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

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MID-TERM EVALUATION OF THE RDP WALES The Farming Union of Wales point out that environmental concerns may actually be hindering the RDP and hence the overall impact that it might have. They point to what they term overzealous environmental protection regulations, for example, restrictive planning policies, which might hamper schemes such as FEG. The Environment Agency stated that whilst there may be positive environmental impacts stemming from the RDP, the issue of water pollution has been virtually ignored. The point was made that the disparate nature of agreements under Tir Gofal does not necessarily present an opportunity to improve water quality in a catchment area. This compares unfavourably with the geographically concentrated approach taken under Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Tir Cymen. However, it is recognised that the proposed Entry Level agri-environment scheme could prove to be a step in the right direction. The EA also point out that a greater degree of integration between the RDP and other initiatives in Wales such as the Water Framework Directive and the Spatial Plan Wales would be beneficial. Community strategies could also be more integrated and more account could be taken of the State of the Environment Report for Wales in terms of identifying environmental priorities to address. Finally, the EA add that there are particular issues with regard to individual RDP schemes. Most notably it is felt that the synthetic pyrethroid sheep dip used by organic farmers under the OFS is actually more environmentally damaging 4 than the organophosphate dip used by conventional farmers 5 . RSPB Cymru believe that whilst the OFS has inherent environmental benefits, more could be done to enhance opportunities for wildlife in terms of biodiversity and farmland birds. Further, the organisation states that without conservation standards, organic farming will become increasingly intensive with a potential risk that the environmental benefits of organic farming systems, and the organic sector’s environmentally friendly image, could be jeopardised. RSPB Cymru considers that maintenance payments for organic production should be awarded contingent on organic producers meeting high environmental standards. A11.2.6. Wider rural economy NFU Cymru explain that although the wider rural economy is heavily dependent on the viability of the agricultural sector, the confluence of the RDP with the lingering after effects of BSE, FMD, the strength of Sterling against the Euro, etc. makes it difficult to assess the wider impact of the Plan. The Farming Union of Wales also concludes that the presence of so many confounding factors makes it impossible to assess the wider impact of the RDP with any accuracy. 4 Synthetic pyrethroid has between 100 and 1,000 times the toxicity to aquatic fauna than organophosphate dips, although the latter are themselves highly toxic. 5 Many conventional farmers have also switched to synthetic pyrethroid in response to human health concerns associated with organophosphates. 8
MID-TERM EVALUATION OF THE RDP WALES The National Trust Wales believe that Tir Gofal and Tir Mynydd have provided employment opportunities for local people (especially through conservation contracting) and that there has therefore been benefit to the wider rural economy. However, the degree to which the RDP stimulates inward investment is not clear. The CCW expects a significant impact on the wider rural economy based on the organisation’s experience and research into the knock-on effects of the Tir Cymen pilot scheme (see above, Section A11.2.4 in particular). PLANED state that in theory the impact of the RDP in supporting the wider rural economy is excellent, although the organisation claims that the failure to build on LEADER I and LEADER II represents a missed opportunity. A11.3. Performance of the RDP A11.3.1. Addressing the needs of rural Wales The Farming Union of Wales feels that the extensive consultation which preceded the drafting of the RDP has resulted in a policy which goes a long way towards addressing the needs of rural Wales, with the exception of young farmers who would have benefited from installation aids. However, it is felt that the UK’s historic low commitment to agri-environment schemes resulted in a low budget allocation from the EU. This has had a significant impact on the range and size of schemes run under the RDP Wales. In contrast, the CCW feels that the fact that the RDP pre-dates other important policy documents (Farming for the Future in particular) makes it potentially difficult for it to address the needs of rural Wales fully. It is not entirely clear, in the CCW’s view, to what extent the overarching priorities of the RDP are reflected in budgetary allocation. A stocktaking exercise of all the RDP schemes would be useful in assessing this issue in more detail. The National Trust Wales believes that the RDP is helping larger farms to increase profitability, but that smaller farms (between 100 and 200 acres (47 to 95 hectares) are not seeing such benefits. From the point of view of the wider rural economy this is not ideal as it is the smaller farms which are more linked in with other rural businesses and the local community. The RDP is also seen as bringing benefits in terms of making subsidies to the agricultural sector more acceptable to urban dwellers through the greater emphasis on the delivery of public goods in return for support. A11.3.2. Operation of the RDP The CCW feels that Tir Gofal is very well integrated with other RDP schemes (through its links with the delivery of the forestry measures, the training measure and the public access component of Article 33 6 ). It is felt that this is the result of the extensive consultation process that was undertaken 6 The fact that organic farmers can gain extra points when applying to Tir Gofal might also be added to this list. 9
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A11 Views of interested organisations.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

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