Rachel Evans talks to BBC ALBA about NRW's lack of consultation over tree planting project

Rachel Evans, our Countryside Alliance Wales Director, has taken part in a programme for BBC ALBA, which aired last night (07/04/22) and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

You can watch the full programme by clicking here.

Countryside Alliance members and supporters will be aware of the Welsh Government's announcement earlier this year of their purchase of 94 hectares of Brownhill farm in Carmarthenshire to plant a memorial woodland. It has prompted rural campaigners to call for an urgent re-think of land use policy.

Brownhill sits in the heart of the Towy Valley, between the farming villages of Llanwrda and Llangadog and has until now been rented to farmers under a grazing and mowing licence.

While there are some rougher patches of ground in the mix, most of the land purchased by the Welsh Government is described by the selling agent as being "Towy Valley agricultural land and meadows".

Rachel joined other rural organisations to outline the growing frustration between local, rural communities and NRW over the lack of consultation about the project.

"There has been no consultation. We first heard about it when NRW bought the land on behalf of the Welsh Government. They've described it as something for local people, but local people have no opportunity to get involved".

Rachel warns that the recently purchased land at Brownhill, should be used for farming and not tree planting.

There are also warnings from other traditional farming communities about the impact rising land prices are having on the industry as private investors and companies seek out the financial benefits of national tree-planting schemes while aiming to offset their carbon emissions.

Rachel also draws attention to the fact the purchase directly contradicts the Welsh Government's own policies on promotion of the Welsh language. By removing agriculture from the local community, it risks destroying its heritage. Rachel argues that the project represents a threat to the Welsh language because children at the local school speak only Welsh and "if they can't come home and become farmers, the community will be lost".

Rachel has previously stated: "Tree planting projects while well intentioned, require very careful planning and must be carried out using the principle of the right tree in the right place. We urgently request the Welsh Government think very carefully about this and all future proposals. Local people must be part of any future consultation and evidence of engagement must be transparent".

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