Director for Wales meets with Welsh Government to discuss Labour's disconnect in the countryside

Our Director for Wales, Rachel Evans, met Welsh Government Ministers Julie James MS and Lesley Griffiths MS last week where they discussed the rural issues which matter most to our members aligned to their Ministerial portfolios. Unfortunately, the First Minister was unable to attend at the last minute, following a positive test result for Covid. We send him our best wishes for a quick recovery.

This meeting arose when Rachel Evans pressed home the point about Labour's disconnect with the countryside directly to the First Minister during the virtual Welsh Labour Party's conference back in November 2021. Following this the First Minister, Mark Drakeford MS offered to meet to discuss the divide between rural Wales and his party.

Highlighted at the meeting on the 10 February was the Alliance's previous work with the political think tank The Fabian Society, and more recently the Alliance's report titled "an elephant in the countryside" which gives a thorough analysis of Labours track record of failing rural voters, and the problems Labour have in gaining rural seats.

The Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, and the Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths MS, were keen to discuss the many areas of work of the Countryside Alliance. This gave us the opportunity to voice the concerns of our members and supporters across a number of issues from game shooting, trail hunting, tree planting, to the wider benefits that our members activities and interests bring to the countryside in terms of social, environmental and economic value.

The Gamebird Code of Practice will go out to consultation although we don't have a date for that yet and the Welsh Government commitment to ban the use of snares will be contained in the Agriculture (Wales) Bill which we will see sight of before the summer recess. This meeting gave Rachel Evans an opportunity to challenge this and to highlight the fact that the Countryside Alliance were part of the shooting interests group who urged Welsh Government in 2018 to ban the use of non-code compliant snares. Rachel Evans urged the Ministers to liaise with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust on this issue to ensure a science led approach is used to finding common ground on this issue.

Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, was keen to understand the relationship and benefits between shooting and improving biodiversity in Wales which is a significant focal point of this Government. We will be working with fellow colleagues within Aim to Sustain to support this and will no doubt, be calling on our members and supporters to engage with us in the process. On the contentious issues of tree planting on agricultural land and the recent "Brownhill" purchase, the Minister was keen to visit the Brownhill site and has subsequently received an invitation from the Countryside Alliance to do so.

One thing that did ring clearly from the meeting, and to which both Ministers commented on, is that our sector, our community, our membership, do not respond to their decisions or consultations in the same volume as those who oppose our interests. This is something that Rachel is equally concerned about, and we wish to make progress in taking our members and supporters on that digital journey.

Rachel Evans, Director for Wales, said "I am grateful to the First Minister for instigating this meeting on the back of our exchange during the virtual Labour Party conference. Despite their being strongly held positions on certain topics, it was overall, a very positive meeting and a great opportunity to raise the interests of our members. The meeting has demonstrated that we must continue to work with the Government and make the rural voice heard for the benefit of the people of Wales."