Building relationships

he CLA Cymru team has worked

Thard in 2021 to build closer relationships with even more members in Wales, learning more about their needs and what they require from us in terms of information, advice and support.

We are building business resilience by transforming how we do things, a common theme for many Welsh members throughout 2021. As we grappled with Welsh government Covid-19 guidelines, members were coping with the dynamics of a new internal market as a result of Brexit, most intensely felt by cross-border businesses. For many, the inconsistency in guidelines between England and Wales has been a critical issue. Despite our interdependencies, we are diff erent countries.

We have spoken to more members than ever in 2021, off ering support during the crisis and understanding more about members’ businesses and priorities. This initiative has been so successful that a membership relations manager is now a permanent role in your nine-strong CLA Cymru team. This eff ort has not only engaged us with many of our disparate Welsh membership, but we’ve learnt more about diversifi ed business needs. We’ve come to understand that we are a key representative force for landowners now providing tourism destinations and accommodation, hospitality and retail, for example. In 2022, we’ll do even more to support them.

Food – and how we produce it – is a focus for many strands of debate, including health and dietary choices and how food production contributes to society’s goals. The ‘delivery of public goods’, which encapsulates climate change goals, managing fresh water, air quality and biodiversity is driving the greatest change in land management for generations. In 2022, we’ll experience it fi rst-hand with the Agriculture (Wales) Bill. We are already in the transformation process towards the new Sustainable Farming Scheme, which we will continue to in uence for years to come.

Despite appearances, Welsh government and politics look diff erent following the 2021 Senedd elections. Some continuity exists in the governing party and a return to tri-party politics. However, a new climate change department has shifted focus on nearly all topics of interest to our members to its minister, Julie James MS, and her deputy, Lee Waters MS. By the end of 2021, we had already seen strategies emerge on tree planting, planning, housing and domestic fuel. Environmental regulation and the National Parks are directed by this department, and a large proportion of our activity is driven in this direction.

Few have many positive things to say about Covid-19 and its impacts. I’ve already mentioned how the crisis has in uenced businesses, including our own membership outreach work. Thanks to online technology, many more members have been able to participate in CLA Cymru virtual meetings and events on a wide range of topics. We’re already running our fi rst full annual programme of live events for the fi rst time since 2019. Today, we have the luxury of both live and virtual events – and I hope this leads to even greater engagement and closer relationships with CLA members in Wales.