Ann Davies MP says UK government does not understand Welsh farming

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00:00As a tenant dairy farmer myself and chair of FUW Carmarthenshire, perhaps I realise

00:09and understand this more than anybody else in this Chamber. The Government is trying

00:14to portray farming as an industry of super wealthy landowners and that's simply not

00:20the case in Wales, let me tell you. Welsh upland farmers in mountainous and hilly areas

00:26have an average annual income of £18,600. Yes, you heard correctly, £18,600, which

00:35is far below the national living wage for hours which are way beyond your average 40-hour

00:43week. What assessment has the Minister made for the impact of the changes to the APR in

00:49Wales, where wages for farmers are so low?

00:53I'm grateful to the Honourable Lady, and she's absolutely right. Farming is very

00:56tough right across the country and it's very difficult in Wales. It is a devolved issue

01:01so I won't comment on the specific schemes in Wales, but I would point her back to the

01:06Treasury figures which show the number of people who made claims for agricultural property

01:10relief and it is relatively few, and I would say it's probably relatively few in Wales.