8. What support is the Welsh Government providing to tenant farmers regarding security of tenure? OQ57181

Thank you. The Welsh Government is committed to protecting both the tenanted and owned sectors of the Welsh agricultural industry. Tenancy agreements are contracts entered into by both landlord and tenant. Welsh Government will continue to work to ensure the legislation underpinning agricultural tenancies is fair to both parties.

I'm pleased to hear that, Minister. As Rhun ap Iorwerth suggested, the history of Wales is full of farmers being forced to leave their land. I'm pleased to see the Deputy Minister, Lee Waters, here, as he has spoken very powerfully about the family of his grandfather being evicted in the Epynt clearance in 1940. The loss of Epynt, the loss of a whole community and, as Rhun ap Iorwerth said, the loss of a language, the loss of a culture, the loss of a religion—the loss of everything that was good about the community.

But this is not just a matter for the history books. This year in Cardiff and in Rhoose, the same thing is happening. It's heartbreaking to hear about Jenkin Rees, a farmer between Radyr and Pentrebane in Cardiff west, of Maes y Llech farm, demonstrating the rich history of Cardiff, being forced to leave the farm he's been farming for decades. And then the Model Farm in Rhoose—a family who were forced to leave Epynt, but the same thing is happening to them again. Even though they have been there for four generations, the same is happening again. They are being forced to leave Model Farm by Legal and General—a major international company forcing this Welsh family to leave their farm. What additional steps can you take, as a Minister and as a Government, to support these tenant farmers to remain on the land and to do what this land has been doing for centuries? Thank you very much.

Thank you. Well, back in, I think it was, 2019, we did consult around tenant farms and, obviously, the tenants on them, and we wanted to look at encouraging longer term lets. Respondents were very supportive of the aim, although I think it’s fair to say that it was also highlighted that it might not bring forward the intended effect that you referred to.

We do have a DEFRA-led tenancy reform industry group, which I know my officials work very closely with, to look at what mechanisms we can bring forward to support our tenant farmers. We’ve also had some new dispute-resolution powers. They were taken forward in the UK Agriculture Act 2020, and I’m certainly looking at what we can do in our own agriculture Bill that I’ll be bringing forward next year.  

Minister, first off I’d like to thank you for bringing this question forward, because when I had the portfolio and I spoke with tenant farmers, it was really sad. Now, nearly 30 per cent of agricultural land in Wales is tenanted, with such smallholdings providing a crucial stepping stone for young farmers as they enter this vital industry. Yet the ability of tenants to plan long term for their families and implement sustainable practices is undermined by the rules. The Tenant Farmers Association have said farmers are being stifled in undertaking sustainable practices due to the short-term opportunities that landlords are giving them. In the majority of cases, we know that tenant farmers are unable to plant trees due to restrictive clauses within their agreements. NFU Cymru's 'Growing Together' strategy found that policies that drive tree planting where funding exceeds the levels of support available for agricultural land have the potential to impact on short-term tenancies, and this can be at the risk of termination by a landlord. So, given this incredibly vital sector, again, what can you do to safeguard against these very negative practices that our tenanted farmers are experiencing?

I recognise some of the issues that the Member refers to and I do think that tenant farms are often a stepping stone for our young farmers, who we really want to encourage into the sector. You will have heard my answer earlier around the work that we've done with the UK Government-led tenancy reform industry group. As I say, there are some powers within the UK Agriculture Act that was brought forward last year, and I will certainly look to see what we can do. I've been working with the tenant association here in Wales for their views, and obviously as we go through the process of the agricultural Bill I'll be very happy to see what powers we can bring into that Bill to support this very important part of the agricultural sector.