Wales Win: Minister supports the continuation of farming at controversial Brownhill site

The Countryside Alliance has welcomed support from the Minister for Climate Change that a significant section of the land purchased by the Welsh Government for one of three covid-memorial woodlands will continue to be used to produce food such as Welsh lamb and beef.

In February, the Welsh Government announced that new memorial woodlands would be created at three separate sites, including a section of farmland at Brownhill in Carmarthenshire's Tywi Valley. The plans involve planting trees, sparking fears among local people that valuable agricultural land will be lost.

Countryside Alliance Wales met with Julie James MS on Tuesday the 16th of August at the site of the proposed memorial woodland, while inspecting the rest of the land that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) acquired on the Government's behalf.

It comes following months of Countryside Alliance campaigning, including a petition which called on the Welsh Government and NRW to 'stop purchasing productive farmland to plant trees which threatens our fragile rural communities, heritage, culture and the Welsh language'.

The meeting, which was requested by the Countryside Alliance and facilitated by Natural Resources Wales, gave those in attendance the opportunity to discuss concerns and reach agreement over two significant factors within the site's 200 plus acres: the importance of protecting rare Curlew in the valley and the need to intertwine farming and woodland creation on the better pieces of land, which have been used to grow food for generations.

NRW and the Minister agreed with the Alliance for the need to protect Curlew, a species under serious threat of extinction and has already been and will continue to be part of NRW assessment process of the site, particularly in the development of the 'conservation space' an area designed to protect biodiversity.

Initial proposals had included an area marked for potential "closed canopy woodland", which would have seen quality agricultural land disappear under a carpet of trees. The second round of consultation now proposes that section of land as a 'growing space'. The Alliance has argued strongly that it should be used for producing Welsh beef and lamb.

The Countryside Alliance also raised the importance of introducing 'Rural Community Impact Assessments', which would see the Government considering the potential impact of tree planting on food security and the local community.

Rachel Evans, the Alliance's Director for Wales, also suggested a community open day on the covid site, which will likely to be taken forward.

Ms Evans said: "It was incredibly important to put our ongoing concerns about tree-planting at this site directly to decision makers. We are pro-planting the right tree in the right place, but there are clearly significant parts of Brownhill which bolster our national food production and ability to remain self-sufficient".

"I was delighted to hear the Minister support our suggestion that food such as Welsh lamb and beef will continue to be produced on this section of land. This is a positive step and will ensure that the more valuable agricultural sections of the site remain used for food production".

"Going forward, dialogue between the Government and local communities must be a priority when it comes to tree-planting proposals. Local people must be part of the process and not feel as though decisions are being imposed on them and their local area without consideration of their views. Our proposal to conduct Rural Community Impact Assessments will go a long way in alleviating communal anxiety in the future, and we sincerely hope the Welsh Government will commit to carrying them out as a matter of standard procedure."

Julie James, Minister for Climate Change said: "I welcomed the opportunity to visit the site with Countryside Alliance and NRW, which will become one of our first commemorative woodlands to remember family and friends lost to Covid 19. However, a large site like this offers lots of opportunities to be innovative, to trial and showcase different ways of working. Following feedback from local communities NRW have devised a plan which combines tree planting with food production and can be an exemplar of what we would like to see on farms across Wales if we are to address the climate change emergency".

Natural Resources Wales is expected to publish the outcomes from the second consultation on the site in early September.

This article has had extensive media coverage including the BBC, Nation Cymru and Farming UK.

Keep up to date with Countryside Alliance Wales by signing up to the Dragon's Tale newsletter