It is always the highlight of the year to attend the summer agricultural shows across my region and Wales, from the Vale of Glamorgan Show to the Royal Welsh Show. I particularly enjoy it because I get a chance to meet a wide range of people who live and work in our rural communities and see some of the fantastic produce they have to offer.
I also get a chance to meet with many organisations who work hard to hold government to account and make the voice heard of not only farmers but all those who live, work in and enjoy our countryside. Whilst I cannot name them all, two organisations that I am deeply impressed with are The British Horse Society who among many other issues have been instrumental in helping raise the concerns and fight for those who enjoy horse-riding and seek to preserve and protect bridleways, and The British Association for Shooting and Conservation who not only provide help and support to their members but have a huge influence and expertise in helping to protect wild bird populations, in particular endangered species.
Farmers and rural communities in Wales have had a rough time of it in recent years and we have all seen the protests in Cardiff Bay. Despite this, I believe that the Welsh Labour Government continue to have an anti-rural agenda which is having a damaging impact on the rural way of life. Whilst the direction of agricultural policies will ultimately be decided by the Welsh Labour Government, following Mr Gething’s turbulent leadership, many discussions will now have to begin all over again with Eluned Morgan and her newly appointed Cabinet and I hope that they will be open to listening to concerns.
Attending agricultural shows are not only a great way of experiencing and seeing some of the best our rural communities have to offer, but they also show how rural life is a life worth protecting. In the Senedd Chamber, I will continue to champion and fight for our rural communities and hold the Welsh Labour Government to account for their policies that are driven with the wrong agenda and focus- and I will also continue to be a voice of our rural communities who suffer the consequences of Labour pet projects time after time.
ENDS
