Farmers protest on the steps of the Senedd

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00:00 This morning, the streets are empty.

00:02 Markets are empty and buses full of protesters,

00:05 not a trailer full of people, were abandoned today.

00:08 It's a shame for the work and the way of life.

00:11 That's what's important.

00:13 It's not just the public sector that's affected,

00:16 but everything that affects the public sector.

00:19 People, especially in Llanbwla,

00:21 are looking at how many people are going to Cardiff today.

00:24 They've shown how much support there is for the country.

00:27 In the capital, tractors were testing the obvious tolerance

00:31 there is in local communities to policies of the Welsh Government.

00:35 I think they're taking things from us and leaving them to farm.

00:40 We're girls from a farm too and we want to carry on in the future.

00:45 We've been marked with that and we want to carry on.

00:48 The Government says the plan to farm in Cardiff

00:51 is a positive step towards a new and healthy future.

00:55 But there are additional elements to the plan.

00:58 The need to have 10% of land already cultivated and fed

01:02 and 10% also in need of a better life, before the investments.

01:06 Are you happy with the sustainable farming scheme?

01:09 No!

01:11 Many farmers feel they're being targeted in an unfair way.

01:15 I feel a little bit like the villain.

01:18 We farmers all feel that, I think.

01:21 We want to work with the Government and work together.

01:26 We have to do it to move forward with what we're trying to do.

01:30 But none of us are the problem.

01:33 We don't have to trust everyone.

01:36 Thousands have been riding bikes in Cardiff

01:39 to support the unwavering efforts of the SNP.

01:43 Some of them are also proud to feel that the Welsh Government

01:48 is listening and listening to our local communities.

01:52 Although discussions on the plan to farm in Cardiff

01:55 have been going on for seven years,

01:57 the press conference continues without a break.

02:00 The economic impact assessment commissioned by the Welsh Government

02:04 predicted there could be up to 5,500 jobs lost in our agricultural sector.

02:10 That's almost double what's proposed to be lost by Tata Steel.

02:14 We've seen Labour members, elected politicians,

02:16 out campaigning alongside steel workers.

02:19 But yet again, if you implement changes that would cut

02:22 almost double those number of jobs in rural communities.

02:25 Can you understand rural communities' frustrations at that?

02:28 So that economic analysis was done a while ago

02:31 and it was a very important piece of work to see what the impact would be

02:35 as the consultation that we previously had stood.

02:38 I don't want to see one job loss. I want to make that very clear.

02:41 So it's really important that we learn from that.

02:44 We see what the impact would be if the scheme in its present form went ahead.

02:48 So what do you envisage would be the number of job losses then

02:51 in its current form?

02:52 Well, in its current form, I don't know

02:54 because we haven't done that piece of work yet.

02:56 So is it fair then, you're consulting on a plan

02:58 where you don't know what the impacts might be?

03:00 Well, the important thing is that the final scheme,

03:03 when that comes forward, and that will take a while to come forward,

03:07 there will be new economic analysis alongside that.

03:10 We are making a call for Welsh Government to listen to us.

03:14 The Government is granting their views to people like the Rhine.

03:18 And they accept that changes must be made to the plan to farm rural areas.

03:23 What the Government is saying is that we all need to change.

03:27 It's a new era and farmers need to change too.

03:31 That's not a problem. That's what I don't understand.

03:34 People say that's a problem. That's not a problem.

03:37 Farmers need to change. We are changing.

03:39 But that change must be realistic and fair.

03:42 That's what I'm asking. That's what we're all here for today.

03:46 I don't understand why people are saying that we need to change.

03:49 Of course we need to change. We all need to change how we do things.

03:52 We are doing that, but as I said,

03:54 there must be realistic changes.

03:58 Two weeks from now, Wales will have a new Prime Minister.

04:02 He will raise awareness and raise awareness in the farming community

04:06 in one of its most important areas.

04:08 [singing]

04:14 [cheering]

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