Natasha Asghar, MS for South Wales East, joined thousands of farmers on the steps of the Senedd on Wednesday 28th February – a day in which farmers made Welsh history with the largest protest to take place at the Welsh Parliament in its 25-year history.
With 90% of the land area in Wales given over to farming, our Welsh farmers have a huge job on their hands.
But a current lack of empathy and understanding from the Welsh Government - including a requirement in their most recent support scheme for every farm to have to give over 20% of their land for both tree planting and habitat land – has understandably pushed farmers to the limit.
The Welsh Conservatives have argued that there are many other ways in which to perform carbon sequestration, not just tree planting, but that farmers should be allowed the space to develop and utilise methods that work best for them, their land, and their farm’s terrain.
Commenting on the protest seen this week in response to the SFS proposals, Natasha Asghar MS said:
“Welsh farmers are the backbone of our rural communities, and it was great to meet so many of them outside the Welsh Parliament at the protest.
“In South Wales East we have farmers right across Monmouthshire who are rightly up in arms about the SFS proposals, and the Welsh Government won’t even engage in a conversation with them to productively alter this ludicrous scheme.
“The Welsh Government want to take 20% of their land, just to tick another box on their own ego-based eco agenda.
“I would urge Ministers to listen to calls from the Welsh Conservatives to rework the SFS into something that actually supports rural Wales, the environment and our Welsh food production. Let’s not forget, no farmers means no food.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ymunodd Natasha Asghar, yr A dros Ddwyrain De Cymru, â miloedd o ffermwyr ar risiau'r Senedd ddydd Mercher 28 Chwefror - diwrnod lle gwnaeth ffermwyr hanes yng Nghymru gyda'r brotest fwyaf i'w chynnal yn y Senedd ers ei hagor 25 mlynedd yn ôl.
Gyda 90% o'r arwynebedd tir Cymru yn dir fferm, mae gan ein ffermwyr yng Nghymru dasg enfawr ar eu dwylo.
Ond mae diffyg empathi a dealltwriaeth gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd - gan gynnwys gofyniad yn eu cynllun cymorth diweddaraf i bob fferm orfod ildio 20% o'u tir ar gyfer plannu coed a thir cynefin – ac mae hyn yn amlwg wedi gwthio ffermwyr i'r pen.
Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi dadlau bod yna lawer o ffyrdd eraill o ddal a chadw carbon, nid plannu coed yn unig, ond y dylid caniatáu i ffermwyr ddatblygu a defnyddio dulliau sy'n gweithio orau iddyn nhw, eu tir, a thirwedd eu fferm.
Wrth sôn am y brotest a welwyd yr wythnos hon mewn ymateb i gynigion y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy, dywedodd Natasha Asghar AS:
"Ffermwyr Cymru yw asgwrn cefn ein cymunedau gwledig, ac roedd hi'n wych cael cwrdd â chymaint ohonyn nhw y tu allan i’r Senedd yn y brotest.
"Yn Nwyrain De Cymru mae gennym ffermwyr ar draws Sir Fynwy sy'n gandryll ynghylch cynigion y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrthod cymryd rhan mewn sgwrs â nhw i newid y cynllun chwerthinllyd hwn.
"Mae Llywodraeth Cymru eisiau cymryd 20% o'u tir, dim ond i dicio bocs arall ar eu hagenda amgylcheddol eu hunain sy'n cael ei gyrru gan ego.
"Byddwn yn annog Gweinidogion i wrando ar alwadau gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig i ailystyried y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy a chefnogi Cymru wledig, yr amgylchedd a chynhyrchu bwyd Cymreig. Cofiwch, dim amaeth, dim maeth."
