At the time of publishing, we are most of the way through the series of hustings events for the next leader of the Welsh Labour party, a process which draws to a close on 21st February. Voting will get underway from 16th February, closing on the 14th of March with the winning candidate announced two days later.
Although of course the decision as to who becomes next Welsh Labour leader and therefore First Minister rests with Labour party members, it is nonetheless a decision which has a bearing on all our lives here in Wales.
Long wish list
In terms of what Wales’ farmers might want from the next First Minister, well there is of course quite a long wish list of things we would like from him. This includes looking again at the impractical and draconian NVZ regulations, addressing TB in both cattle and wildlife sources, and listening to the views of the farmers and the representatives on the SFS, to name but a few.
We need the next First Minister to advocate for an allocation of funding to support Welsh agriculture from the UK Government that is commensurate not only with the sector’s size and the very significant inflationary pressures we have seen over the last few years, but also with the higher level of ambition Welsh Government now has for farming in delivering key climate and nature objectives alongside securing the stable supply of safe, high quality and affordable food.
Offer degree of certainty
An early undertaking by the next First Minister to ring-fence the allocation Welsh Government receives from Westminster for supporting farmers, and to use it for those purposes alone, would offer the sector a degree of certainty during what is a time of considerable upheaval.
The Rural Affairs portfolio is something which has sometimes sat outside of cabinet, although it is now currently constituted as a full cabinet role. NFU Cymru’s view is that the role should sit in cabinet for some good reasons.
Vitally important
Firstly, our farmers and rural businesses produce the raw ingredients which are the cornerstone of the £8.1 billion Welsh food foundation sector. In turn Wales’ food and drink supply chain employs 223,500 people, meaning it employs more than any other sector of the Welsh economy.
Secondly, with such pressure on budgets in all areas of devolved expenditure, it is vitally important that there is a voice around the cabinet table who is able to make the case for the necessary budgetary allocation, not only for farm support but also for a range of other expenditure within the rural affairs budget for other important things such as animal health. It is certainly open to question whether the BPS budget would have been preserved if the current Rural Affairs Minister did not sit at the cabinet table.