Senedd Conservatives have said that money from the Welsh Government’s Glastir Woodland Creation scheme should not be accessible to multinationals from outside the country, in a move to prevent them “greenwashing” their emissions through farmland purchases in Wales.
As the annual Winter Fair begins in Llanelwedd today, Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister Samuel Kurtz MS has called on the Labour Government to ensure that funding for tree-planting in Wales does not go to businesses outside the country.
The news comes after reports of farmland in Wales being brought by multinational companies in order to offset their carbon emissions and extol their “green” credentials.
Glastir is the Welsh Government's sustainable land management scheme, which offers financial support to farmers and landowners.
It was recently reported that David Mills, a farmer in Powys was fined £15,000 after some of the trees he planted as part of the Labour Government’s Glastir Woodland Creation scheme were allegedly in the wrong place, some by a few inches.
Today’s announcement from the Welsh Conservatives is made following months of industry concerns that traditional Welsh farmland is being bought by foreign companies to off-set their own carbon emissions.
Commenting, Samuel Kurtz, Senedd Member for Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire, said:
“As the son of a farmer, the last thing I want to see are family-run farms being sold-off to foreign multinational companies to improve their own public-image, whilst they continue to produce an enormous carbon footprint completely guilt-free.
“At the end of the day, the Welsh Government should not be handing out hardworking tax-payers money to those not active in our society and economy wanting to off-set their environmental conscience, as much as their own carbon-footprint.
“By stopping Glastir payments to foreign companies, we’d ensure that money reaches the hands of the farmers and land managers here. That way, we can encourage them to use their own land to help tackle climate change.
“If the Welsh Conservatives were to control the allocation of Glastir funds, you could be assured that farmers would be encouraged to plant trees, and be rewarded for doing so. It’s about the right tree, in the right place, for the right reason.”
