I ddarllen y blog yma yn y Gymraeg, cliciwch yma.
We can protect nature by making sure it’s at the heart of farming in Wales. Email the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee to make sure they support nature-friendly farming.
What’s your favourite thing about Welsh wildlife? Is it the evocative bubbling call of the curlew, a colourful flower rich meadow alive with the hum and buzz of bees and insects, or the lucky glimpse of a hare as it bounds out of sight? We cherish our experiences with wildlife, but we need to work together to protect it.
With over 80% of Wales farmed, agriculture has a huge impact on our environment. Brexit has given us an incredible opportunity to draw up new agricultural policy that helps us restore and protect nature in Wales - and you can get involved to help shape it. The Welsh Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs (CCERA) Committee want your opinion on what you think the future of farming should look like, for nature, farmers and people - and your voice will contribute to the recommendations that’ll be passed on to the Welsh Government.
Why farming matters for nature
Farming doesn’t just affect the food we put on our plates, it also affects our landscapes, air quality, climate, soil, water and wildlife. Over the last few decades farming practices have changed and intensified and space for nature has been squeezed. Many important habitats have been affected, which has led to lots of our favourite species losing their homes; leaving them vulnerable and some even unable to survive.
Some Welsh farmers are already taking positive action to protect wildlife’s place in the land they manage, but unless they get the policy support they need to protect nature, wildlife will sadly continue to decline. That’s why it’s so important to secure a farming policy in Wales that supports farmers to support nature whilst also providing us with the food we need to survive.
And think of the potential farming has to save nature in Wales! 80% of our land is farmed. If we can build a new policy that means farming contributes to restoring and protecting nature so that it flourishes, it would have an unprecedented and long-lasting impact on our environment for the better.
Together, we can make a difference
The CCERA Committee’s current inquiry into ‘the future of agriculture and rural development policies in Wales’ is our chance to show decision-makers that we want the new policy to be good for farmers, good for people, and good for nature. With support from the Welsh Government, our farmers will be able to look after our land and wildlife so that it thrives, but it’s going to take all of our voices to make our vision a reality. So get in touch! You can help nature by speaking up for it and asking that they recommend a sustainable land management policy that is good for people and wildlife alike.
This is a chance for Wales and Welsh farming to show the world that we are taking a modern, sustainable approach that is good for people and the environment – where we produce healthy, sustainable food, maintain a healthy environment, and support thriving, diverse wildlife. Wales can lead the way.
The Committee wants to hear from you – email them today!
To read more about how we’re championing nature-friendly farming in Wales, see our farming blogs.