Williamson

When Laurence Tisch owned CBS and was looking to sell the company to Westinghouse in 1995, the network killed a “60 Minutes” story that featured tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, a former Brown & Williamson executive who revealed that its cigarettes contained additives to boost the nicotine that keeps smokers hooked.

Brown & Williamson threatened CBS with a lawsuit, claiming the interview would interfere with Wigand’s confidentiality agreement with the company.

The Times writer who wrote the first draft of the editorial, Elizabeth Williamson, took the stand, and both sides pored over email chains and text threads.

With the latest Welsh government figures showing 159,000 people employed in the sector, Ms Williamson said the negative effect could lead to thousands of job losses.

Ms Williamson said she knew of one farming family, previously been encouraged by government to diversify into offering self catering lets, recently received a £37,000 council tax bill due to not meeting the 182-day requirement.