Sustainable Land Management Branch
Agriculture and Rural Affairs Division
Welsh Government
Rhodfa Government
Llanbadarn Fawr
Aberystwyth
Ceredigion
SY23 3UR
18th June 2015
Dear Sir / Madam,
Proposals for the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales
Thank you for inviting the Farmers’ Union of Wales to contribute to the above consultation. Following an internal consultation with its twelve County Branches, the Union submits the following comments for your consideration.
General Comments
1. The Farmers’ Union of Wales previously lobbied to retain the Agricultural Wages Board and welcomed the Agricultural Sector (Wales) Act 2014; believing that both would promote opportunities for the sector and develop a well-structured lifelong career path for highly qualified new entrants.
2. The makeup and role of the Agricultural Advisory Panel is pivotal in ensuring that the agricultural sector remains an attractive prospect for young people. It is also essential to retain high calibre people in the industry, or else an erosion of talent will occur as individuals move to more lucrative and physically less challenging environments.
3. Due to the unique labour requirements of the agricultural industry, particularly in Wales, workers are required to cover busy periods, fine weather and unsociable hours. General employment law does not cover this type of flexible working.
4. The Union regularly receives requests for information on the terms, conditions and specific benefits related to agricultural workers and for guidance on contractual terms, as small family businesses tend to employ one or two employees over a long term.
5. The Union looks forward to contributing to the consultation on Proposals for the Interim Agricultural Wages Order, pending the establishment of the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales. This consultation and points 2-5 above highlight the importance of correctly establishing the constitution of the Panel as it has to deal with the review of pay, terms and conditions and attracting new entrants in to the industry. The FUW believes that if the membership and expertise of the group are correctly balanced, then it has the potential to make significant progress in rebranding the farming industry.
6. Given the above, the Union firmly believes that the Agricultural Advisory Panel’s composition should reflect the core remit of building a resilient and well-trained agricultural workforce, which will in turn lead to a reduction of rural poverty, a sustainable countryside and an industry that is more efficient, productive and able to meet the challenges of the future.
Without prejudice to the above comments, the following comments are submitted for your attention.
Name: Mr Bernard Griffiths (Land Use Policy Officer)
Organisation (if applicable): Farmers’ Union of Wales
Email / telephone number: / 01970 820820
1. Do you think the Panel should be made up of: a) Three representatives of the workforce (Unite); three representatives of the employers (1 FUW, 1 NFU, 1 CLA); 1 YFC; one of either Lantra or secondary and higher agricultural educational institutions; two independent experts? b) Four representatives of the workforce (Unite); four representatives of the employers (chosen by FUW, NFU, & CLA); two independent experts c) Some other configuration. Please set out below (Please note that the Panel cannot exceed 10 members excluding the Panel Chair):
As indicated in the Union’s response to the Agriculture Sector (Wales) Act 2014: Consultation on the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales, the preferred option of the FUW would be a Panel consisting of a broad mix of skills to reflect the wider remit referred to above.
Alongside involvement of the two agricultural Unions, the FUW supports an option that includes the involvement of the YFC and Lantra; two organisations that the Union believes would positively contribute to the Panel. This would ensure that any skills gaps and training requirements be quickly identified and addressed.
The creation of a balanced Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales could take a holistic view of the wider policy aspirations of a range of relevant strategies and the Rural Development Plan.
Some members stated that the Panel should aspire to reduce the burden of red tape currently imposed on farm businesses.
2. The Welsh Government proposes that Panel members representing agricultural employers (NFU, FUW, CLA), agricultural employees (UNITE), YFC, LANTRA and agricultural educational institutions be chosen by their respective organisations :
The FUW fully supports this proposal, as the Union believes that the organisations themselves are best placed to recognise the most suitably qualified individuals from within their own organisation.
3. The Welsh Government proposes that the Panel Chair and independent members are selected through the public appointment process:
The Farmers’ Union of Wales supports this proposal, as this was one of the primary comments expressed by members and submitted in the Union’s response to the Agriculture Sector (Wales) Act 2014: Consultation on the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales.
Members were keen to ensure that the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments process did not function to hinder novel applicants. Members considered it important that the selection process is rigorous enough to guarantee that the Chair and independent members are expert, knowledgeable and would contribute to the core remit of developing agricultural production and sustainability.
Notwithstanding the above, some members expressed a preference for Panel member to select the Chair.
4. The Welsh Government proposes that the Panel is given the ability to set up sub-committees to advise them on certain issues, such as promoting careers and skills development:
The FUW fully supports this proposal and believes that the inclusion of sub-committees in an advisory capacity would bring expert knowledge on matters such as pay and conditions of service, employment law, Further and Higher Education and Joint Venture farming opportunities.
However, the Union would stress that the Panel and its sub-committee members should comprise of individuals with an understanding of the practical aspects of farming. The establishment of sub-committees should not dilute the Panel’s core function of promoting careers in agriculture and establishing a framework to ensure fair play and conditions of employment. As stated by the Union in a previous consultation, the remit of the Panel may require reviewing if its core functions of career promotion and agreeing draft wage order to Welsh Government became sidelined.
The Panel should have the remit to set up sub-groups and/or call in experts as part of its normal function. It is also important to ensure that access to ‘expertise’ should not be restricted to Welsh Government, but could be drawn from relevant stakeholders or external organisations as required.
I trust that the preceding comments will be fully considered as part of the development of the constitution and functions of the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales.
The FUW looks forward to working closely with stakeholders to help deliver the Welsh Governments vision of a prosperous and sustainable agricultural industry.
Yours faithfully
Bernard Griffiths (Land Use Policy Officer)
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