Cynulliad
Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, Amgylchedd a Materion
Gwledig | Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs
Committee
Ymchwiliad
i ddyfodol Polisïau Amaethyddol a Datblygu Gwledig yng
Nghymru |
Inquiry into the Future of Agricultural and Rural Development
Policies in Wales
AAB
01
Ymateb
gan Ramblers Cymru
Evidence
from Ramblers Cymru
Introduction
- The Ramblers
helps the people of Wales and visitors to enjoy walking, and
protects the places we all love to walk. We are the only charity
dedicated to looking after paths and green spaces, opening up new
places to explore and encouraging everyone to get outside and
discover how walking boosts health and happiness. We welcome the
opportunity to respond to the Committee’s inquiry.
- Over the
next ten years, Rambler Cymru’s ambition is to make sure
great places to walk are available, the right infrastructure is in
place, and resources are provided so that everyone can enjoy the
outdoors on foot. In addition to working to protect and
improve the public rights of way network and increasing access to
open countryside, we want to put walking at the heart of
communities. We want people to understand and appreciate the
path network and their right to access the landscape as a true
community asset and an integral part of our heritage and
culture.
- Farming
communities in particular help to shape our landscapes and we want
to promote walking to support local economies, connect people with
nature, and respond to the impact of climate change.
Cross
compliance and Basic Farm Payments
- Following on
from the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003,
agricultural production was decoupled from farm subsidies and there
was a shift towards linking subsidy payments to cross compliance, a
set of rules which farmers and land managers must follow on their
holdings if they are claiming rural payments.
- In England,
cross-compliance for the Basic Farm payment includes recognition of
rights of way as environmental features as part of the ‘Good
Agricultural and Environmental Conditions’ (GAEC). This
reinforces the existing duty under rights of way legislation
(Highways Act 1980) enforced by the local authorities. If
farmers and land managers already comply with rights of way law
they will also be compliant with the cross compliance rules.
The rights of way GAEC is therefore an important tool in helping to
keep rights of way open and available to use[i].
- Unfortunately
in Wales, cross-compliance has not been made a condition of the
Basic Farm Payment. Welsh Government has taken the view that rights
of way in Wales are not sufficiently mapped to meet the requirement
of Section 2.4.2 of the European Commission Land Parcel
identification system Guidance which requires GAEC landscape
features to be specifically identified and digitally mapped.
Such mapping is not consistent in England either, but has not
prevented cross compliance being implemented
there.
Glastir and
cross compliance
7.
The Welsh
Government’s Environmental Stewardship scheme, Glastir, pays
for the delivery of specific environmental goods and services aimed
at combating climate change, improving water management, and
maintaining and enhancing biodiversity. It is designed to
deliver measurable outcomes at both a farm and landscape level in a
cost effective way.
8.
In contrast
to the Basic Farm Payments, there is a cross-compliance
requirement
in Glastir agreements that all public rights of way should be well
maintained. Although some of the opportunities offered by
Glastir have been beneficial, the scheme has some fundamental
flaws: the recreational opportunities it funds are only temporary;
rules for publicising access opportunities are weak; the access
provided did not have to link up to the wider, permanent access
rights of way network (and therefore was often of little use to the
public); and the quality of routes varied
considerably.
The Future
of Agriculture and Rural Development Policies in Wales
- Ramblers
Cymru advocates cross compliance for any future subsidy system
which may be proposed for Wales, as we believe that farmers and
landowners should not be in receipt of public subsidies if they are
not complying with the law in respect of public rights of
way.
- Ramblers
Cymru believe any new subsidy system must support and encourage
farmers to deliver public access, ensuring the provision of both
local economic benefits and population public health benefits. A
major independent study concluded that spending farming subsidy
funds on improving access to attractive countryside, protecting
wildlife and cutting greenhouse gases could produce annual benefits
of over £18billion, for a loss of less than £0.5billion
in UK agricultural production.[ii]
- Any
redevelopment of the subsidy system must provide an opportunity to
fund permanent improvements to Wales’s recreational access
infrastructure, boosting rural growth and development and improving
public health. Financial support for landowners and managers to
both complement existing public access on foot and fund the
development of new access could ensure long lasting economic
benefits from public subsidies through:
·
Directing funding towards areas where there is clear demand, e.g.
areas for improvement as identified through Rights of Way
Improvement Plans.
·
Investing in existing rights of way and open access network, which
may potentially provide more public benefit than providing new
routes particularly as local government budget cuts impact on
access.
·
Favouring permanent access provision over temporary, thereby
providing maximum benefit for public subsidies as spending on
infrastructure is not wasted when the temporary agreement
ends.