What can we expect in Wales when we are ruled by farmers?

I WAS shocked and dismayed to hear that a badger cull is to go ahead here in Wales, despite evidence from scientific bodies that a cull will do nothing in the long term to eradicate TB in cattle.

Unfortunately, once thousands of badgers have been killed, it's too late for the Welsh Assembly to say sorry.
 
But since this cull has been made public, I've discovered to my horror that we are now being ruled over by Welsh farmers.

What else are we supposed to think, when most Assembly AM's come from a farming background?
 
So not only are we paying out huge subsidies to farmers -  now we are being told to keep our noses out of their business.
 
But should we even be financially supporting the farming industry? After all, the only reason they started getting grants in the first place was because just after the second world war, the public demanded lots of cheap meat. 

Since then, farming practices have become very intensive to maintain the high demand for animal flesh. So as well as lining the pockets of farmers at the expense of suffering animals and the health of people, these subsidies are still being doled out. 
 
We are, however, entitled to know the incomes of politicians and public sector workers, but not it seems the annual subsidy payouts to individual farmers. We should be asking ourselves, why?
 
In any case, I don't think the 'average' citizen would be best pleased to hear that the people they voted for are nearly all farmers (or come from a farming background).

 Nor would they be happy that farmers are still receiving handsome payouts from the public purse. It does smack of looking after one's own interests when a farmer becomes an AM. At least it does to me!
 
Brynle Williams, AM, is a case in point. This farmer was quoted in the press as saying, farmers can't afford to restrict cattle movements. Well they do in Northern Ireland, Mr Williams, and they have a very low incidence of bovine TB.

Plus they don't kill badgers there, and any farmer caught violating cattle movements are dealt with very severely.
 
This should happen in Wales. Maybe then the disease that many believe is caused by intensive farming, would reduce dramatically.

Simply killing badgers is not only barbaric and unhelpful, it's a bit like putting sticking plaster over a gaping wound.

 And apart from being a very expensive short-term cop-out for farmers and ministers alike, remember, it's we, the public, who are footing the bill.