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Agricultural Policy

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, but I will not waste time on it. I am sorry; I will carry on. I do not know the answer to the cross-border question, because I do not farm on a cross-border basis. We are developed enough, when it comes to cross-border issues, to solve these problems and work together, as do many other organisations, such as commoners groups, which get together and do things collectively. I think we can solve that one. As for the senior managers, I am sure that they started their careers somewhere and were grateful for the AWB. My only direct experience of farm work is the smallholding my husband maintains with tireless dedication. He has never employed anyone on the farm, and it is a family affair, as are the concerns of many other upland farmers in Wales. I realised long ago, early in my marriage, that those 80 acres or so would never maintain three generations. In turn, each has sought work outside the farming industry to support themselves. My hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore mentioned the mining connection. My father-in-law was a miner for 47 years. My husband was also a miner, and it was those wages that supported him. By the time our son reached the age at which he wanted to take over and do more on the farm, he could not be maintained by it. It is sad that many young people will not get the chance that our son has. Fortunately, he wants to continue in the tradition of his father and grandfather, but he knows that it will be a tough, uphill slog all the way. I recognise that agricultural work calls for a love of our countryside and a dedication to protecting our invaluable environment. In many cases, it is a skilled occupation, demanding knowledge and experience gained over many years, yet figures produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show that agricultural wages remain persistently below those of a manual worker, at about 70% or 80% of their average payments. The National Farmers Union consistently makes the point that the difference between the national minimum wage and the basic agricultural wages order rate, as set by the former board, is only 2p an hour. Similar data show that the agricultural working week can sometimes be substantially longer, depending on the season, and the requirements of the livestock and the arable crops. DEFRA’s own figures show that the abolition of the AWB will take £9 million a year out of the rural high street, and that reduction will be created by cuts in holiday and sickness pay alone. It has long been argued that the earnings gap between agricultural workers and other manual employees is because of the benefits in kind available, such as tied housing, fuel allowance, and provisions. I do not need to remind members of the Committee of the serious disadvantages associated with living in tied accommodation. That is another area of social inequality that will affect the rights of numerous families, but the Government continue to greet that fact with great ambivalence, and choose to ignore the many repercussions of the legislation, including the risk of an increase in rural homelessness and rural poverty. Successive reports highlight the changing nature of farming and agriculture in this country. The suggestion that farming is essentially about a network of small-scale family businesses, with all the associated interdependencies and benefits in kind, is no longer viable, either as a concept or a financial model. The knock-on effect is to make it even more difficult for young people to enter this important industry and, in time, become the guardians of our wonderful countryside. We all know that farming has to modernise and keep up to date with ever-changing trends, and that the needs of housewives are ever more demanding, but if we are to ensure that there is sufficient enticement for young people to live, work and raise families in our rural communities, competitive wages must be paid. As in other industries, modernisation and a focus on competitiveness does not necessarily mean the imposition of low pay and employment uncertainty. The Farmers Union of Wales opposes the abolition of the AWB, as it fears that its closure will leave farmers exposed. In particular, it fears that those who hire out their skills to neighbours and bigger farming operations will be left without the safety net of a fair wage for their skills. Luckily, we in Wales have the reassurance that the Welsh Government do not want the AWB to disappear; they are in discussions with DEFRA on that very point. I understand that the debate has moved on, but unless Ministers can tell me otherwise, the fact that agricultural workers remain at the bottom of the pay scale is still a threat, and there does not seem to be a real change in attitude and stance. I have heard talk about the necessity of driving down the cost of food production, but I see little evidence of that imperative translating into cheaper, more affordable food in the shops. Many of my constituents take the time to tell me about how food prices are increasing, and that is unfair. It is not the farmer who imposes those costs, but it is the farmer who is blamed by many housewives. With food inflation running at nearly twice the rate of inflation on other goods, we have to question just how much of that astonishing figure is the result of increasing fuel costs, and how much is structural—by that, I mean built in through markets and profiteering. Our farmers face ever-increasing pressures from supermarkets and big-brand food producers. Costs are driven down and yields are expected to increase year on year, yet that is all against the backdrop of uncertainty and the threat of ever-lower payment and wages.