Monmouthshire farmers are facing the troublesome prospect of losing 20 per cent of their land for tree planting and other schemes under a proposal by the Labour Welsh Government's Sustainable Farming Scheme.

The survivability of rural communities in the region hinges on their flourishing farming practices.

Many farmers are livid over the proposition that would largely impact the production of agriculture in the land, according to David TC Davies MP.

Local shops, post offices, village pubs, and more comprise the lifeline for rural Monmouthshire.

Their existence solely relies on the thriving rural community and especially on the support from farmers.

Farmers in this region play a pivotal role as custodians of the land, in food production, fortification of the local economy, job creation, and furthering small businesses.

The imminent threat of the Sustainable Farming Scheme would significantly destabilise the rural communities' ecosystem.

"The future of the Welsh farming industry is at stake and unless the Labour Welsh Government drops its Sustainable Farming Scheme, this is the final straw that could push countless Welsh farms off a cliff edge," voiced Mr Davies, expressing the concerns of the local farming community.

Loss of production land would indeed lead to an influx of imported goods, thus increasing the carbon footprint.

The apparent contradiction in the Sustainable Farming Scheme is perplexing with the Welsh Government accentuating on the reduction of food mileage and tree plantation while concurrently proposing to cut down 850,000 tonnes of trees on its land, including Monmouthshire.

Mr Davies had penned his apprehensions to the Labour Welsh Government and demanded meetings to represent Monmouthshire's rural communities.

However, the ministers have opted not to engage in a meeting with him as of yet.

He added: "Time and time again, Labour has demonstrated it couldn’t give a damn about our rural communities."

He cited instances where the Labour-run council declined to scrap the Sustainable Farming Scheme, canceled contracts with local suppliers, and outsourced to a company situated over 100 miles away.

Nevertheless, pressure from Mr Davies and other Conservative councillors compelled the council to reopen the tender for the milk contract, for local companies to secure it.

He further asked his fellow citizens to be vocal about this issue, petition and even reach out to him via email to ensure the local company gets the contract.

Mr Davies insists that locals' involvement is crucial to asserting that the framework of rural life in Monmouthshire remains unscathed and that neither our farmers nor our communities can be taken for granted.

This is indeed a rally call for protecting the valuable communities and their economies from being eroded by the impending Sustainable Farming Scheme.