2024 will be a momentous year for Welsh agriculture, with decisions set to be made that will define how we farm in Wales for a generation or more.
Agriculture Act
The last 12 months have seen a significant legislative milestone with the Agriculture (Wales) Act becoming an act of Senedd Cymru. While the passing of this historic piece of legislation has yet to impact on a farm level, it sets the framework that allows Wales, for the first time in history, to create its own agricultural policy. This will take the form of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme and 2024 will see Welsh Government making final policy and budgetary decisions based on the outcome of its current consultation– decisions that WILL be keenly felt at the farm gate by the nation’s farmers from 2025.
SFS consultation
The consultation is underway and NFU Cymru is in the process of engaging with its members over the proposals before the 7 March deadline. One key area of focus for the union is the need for a long-term stability mechanism to underpin the production of safe, high quality and affordable food in Wales. Domestic and global events over the past three years have sadly reminded us of the fragile nature of global food supply chains and the importance of domestic agricultural policies that place a priority on food production.
We must not forget the role that farming businesses play within our rural communities. Government interventions that provide stability to farm businesses benefit rural communities and the wider Welsh economy, for every £1 invested in the current Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) there is a £9 return for the Welsh economy. Welsh Government must provide certainty to Welsh farming businesses by committing that future schemes give substantive support to farming businesses not just through the transition period, but in the longer term, to ensure that the Sustainable Farming Scheme can deliver at least the same level of stability for farm businesses, the supply chain and our rural communities.
10% tree cover
In our lobbying, NFU Cymru has insisted that there is equal access to the Sustainable Farming Scheme for all active farmers. The universal actions must be practical and achievable for all farmers in Wales regardless of sector, location, or land tenure. One of the most debated areas of the plans concerns the minimum 10% tree cover scheme rule. NFU Cymru is concerned that this element still remains a part of the Universal Actions, given that farmers across Wales have stated that this stipulation is likely to prove a barrier to entry for many businesses.
Political lobbying
"We must not forget the role that farming businesses play within our rural communities. Government interventions that provide stability to farm businesses benefit rural communities and the wider Welsh economy, for every £1 invested in the current Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) there is a £9 return for the Welsh economy"
We will see a UK General Election sometime in 2024 and the union will be lobbying all political parties to ensure the views of those working in agriculture and living in rural communities are well represented. We anticipate that budget is likely to feature quite heavily in those conversations and we will be impressing upon parliamentary candidates the importance of UK Government providing certain and long-term funding commitments to Wales. A budget that must recognise that farmers are being asked to deliver more for society than at any time previously in an extremely challenging economic landscape. Away from Westminster politics, First Minister Mark Drakeford’s decision to stand down will see a change at the top of the Welsh Government and we are committed to working with Mr Drakeford’s successor to ensure farmers can continue to deliver on our food, nature and climate change ambitions.
Draft budget announcement
The BPS is crucial to many Welsh farming businesses and I was pleased, therefore, that Welsh Government’s draft budget statement of 19 December confirmed that the BPS would be maintained at current funding levels for 2024. Following the strong case made by NFU Cymru for government to at least maintain the BPS, this news will provide much needed short-term stability and support to farmers at ground level at a time of significant market uncertainty and escalating costs. That is not to say that the sector has not been affected by budget cuts. NFU Cymru is concerned at the cuts to the overall Rural Affairs budget which will have implications for the delivery of programmes within the Minister’s portfolio. We are urgently seeking more details from government about how these cuts will impact the delivery of Rural Investment Programmes and on shared ambitions for food, nature, climate, the economy and communities.
YouGov consumer survey
Government spending in all sectors must be justified and farming is no different. The evidence does indicate, however, that the Welsh public value the services provided by the nation’s farmers. A recent YouGov poll commissioned by NFU Cymru has shone a light on the high levels of public support for farmers in Wales. The consumer survey revealed that 82% of people in Wales support Welsh Government providing financial support to farmers to produce food. When taking into account Welsh Government’s priorities, 72% said that supporting Welsh farmers was a good use of public spending. Public attitudes towards public procurement and self-sufficiency were also very favourable for Welsh farming. It is fantastic to know that we have such high levels of support from the public and this must be taken into account by government.
NFU Cymru is ambitious for the future of Welsh farming and rural Wales, we are proud to be the cornerstone of a food and farming sector worth over £8 billion and a food and drink supply chain that employs over a quarter of a million people in Wales, with more than 50,000 employed directly on farm. We look to our government for an enabling policy, budgetary and regulatory landscape that supports the continued growth of our sector that in turn delivers economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits to Wales.
Next generation
I am pleased to say that 2024 will see NFU Cymru begin the recruiting process for the fourth intake of its popular Next Generation development programme.
An NFU Cymru-commissioned independent consumer survey has revealed that the vast majority of people in Wales support Welsh Government providing financial support to farmers to produce food 🧑🌾🏴
— NFU Cymru 🚜 (@NFUCymru) November 26, 2023
See the results ➡️ https://t.co/C4X3DdGjnf@AbiReader pic.twitter.com/i7nI3ocffn
Together with the yearly NFU Cymru Student & Young Farmers Ambassador programme, these programmes help ensure that passionate and ambitious young farmers can represent the voice of Wales’ younger farmers and many have already moved on to represent the union at both a county and national level. Working with these positive young people is without doubt one of the privileges of my role as NFU Cymru President and an important ongoing reminder of why we must lobby for effective agricultural policy that allows future generations of farmers to thrive.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2024. Blwyddyn Newydd dda.
