I ddarlen y blog yma yn y Gymraeg, cliciwch yma os gwelwch yn dda
The Hay Festival is renowned for bringing readers, writers and world leaders together to look at the world as it is and imagine how it could be. It’s a meeting of minds where people are encouraged to celebrate both their personal, political and educational ideas and use this to transform their way of thinking. Here, stories are told, ideas are shared and progressive thinking emerges.
On 31 May, RSPB Cymru was keen to join the writers and world leaders as we played host to our special event on the nature of Brexit and the challenges and opportunities for wildlife and farming. Hay-on-Wye was the perfect setting to debate wildlife friendly farming in Wales and the outstanding potential for what could be developed in future.
Until now, the way we farm and manage our land has been governed by the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Unfortunately, this has failed to protect nature, the environment or build resilient agriculture. Instead, it has encouraged unsustainable, largely uneconomic farming practices that has led to much of our wonderful wildlife being lost and the countryside being damaged.
But now that we’re destined to leave the European Union, we have the opportunity to create a new policy that is good for nature, people and farmers. It’s clear that farming has enormous potential to do this, but this potential can only be fulfilled if the right type of policy and support is put in place for farmers and other land managers to achieve this goal.
So with the Hay Festival celebrating its 30th birthday this year, RSPB Cymru hosted an event to explore what the next 30 years could look like if the natural environment was placed at the heart of farming policies post-Brexit. Special guests included RSPB Cymru Director Katie-jo Luxton; journalist and author of Ethical Carnivore, Louise Gray; spoken word poet Martin Daws; Welsh sheep farmer and Fairness for The Uplands representative, Tony Davies; Member of the Welsh Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs (CCERA) Committee, Huw Irranca-Davies, Chair of Amaeth Cymru, Kevin Roberts and RSPB Chairman, Prof. Steve Ormerod.
Left to right: Prof. Steve Ormerod, Huw Irranca-Davies, Katie-jo Luxton, Tony Davies, Louise Gray and Kevin Roberts.
Following glowing introductions from Katie-jo Luxton, it was Prof. Steve Ormerod that kicked off proceedings by emphasising the huge impact farming has on nature. He then stressed the importance of replacing the CAP policy with a structure that is good for nature and people alike. Kevin Roberts echoed the need for Welsh farmers to continue receiving support after the UK leaves the EU. He highlighted the importance for both business and environmental needs to be balanced, in order for the farming industry to be able to survive.
Having been asked how farmers could be inspired to do more for nature, Tony Davies proceeded to remind the audience that farmers are in fact businessmen, and they will require financial incentive to protect nature. He stated there is currently a stigma against wildlife friendly farmers like himself, and incentives might be needed to tempt others on board to help create a better future.
CCERA committee member, Huw Irranca Davies, highlighted recommendations made in the committee’s recent report on ‘The future of land management in Wales’. His views echoed the need for any financial support to be based on environmental aims and outcomes, and by achieving set-targets. Ethical Carnivore author, Louise Gray, then pressed the fact that consumers have a huge role to play in making good food choices, which in turn leads to changes which can help save nature.
A Q&A session followed and our panel, along with the audience, could have discussed the future of our landscapes and wildlife for hours on end. But by the end of the session, the audience could hopefully imagine a new land management policy that would be equally good for people, farmers and nature. A world where flocks of lapwings return to our fields, curlews return to our uplands and golden plover run along our peat bogs once more. With the power of great ideas we can transform our way of thinking. Just imagine the possibilities.