FIGURES published by the National Assembly for Wales show that the total income from farming in Wales in 2000 collapsed by £60m to a negative figure of £2.6m.
Said Hugh Richard, president of NFU Wales: "What this starkly demonstrates is that the total value of agricultural output in Wales was actually less than the total cost of producing that output." Mr Richards pointed out that the figures included agricultural contractors, continued agricultural activity such as cheese processing, and activities related to sports, tourism and rural recreation.
"Our politicians talk about the tender shoots of recovery, but these figures are the clearest evidence yet that the Government's fiscal policy is decimating our industry." Mr Richards wondered why the Government had turned its back on agriculture and the rural areas.
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