NFU Cymru has recently met with the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, out on farm in Ceredigion to discuss ongoing policy priorities and relay members’ views directly from the farmgate.

This most recent face-to-face meeting, kindly hosted by the Evans family at Tanygraig Farm, near Lampeter was an opportunity for the union to raise with her those issues of greatest concern to its members. The union discussed the agricultural budget, the Sustainable Farming Scheme and changes to inheritance tax reliefs and their impact on Welsh farming businesses all areas that are a high priority for our members.

Our President and Deputy President also met with Wales Office Minister, Nia Griffith MP, in Cardiff to discuss a number of issues impacting the agricultural sector including the UK Government’s inheritance tax changes, funding for Welsh Agriculture from the UK Government and the importance of robust border security following the recent cases of Foot and Mouth Disease in Europe.

Although agriculture is of course devolved there are some matters that are in the hands of the UK Government including decisions around taxation, future funding and some of the decisions around border biosecurity so it is important that we keep these channels of communication open.

NFU Cymru has also been in attendance recently at the Plaid Cymru Party Conference in Llandudno. It was a great opportunity for NFU Cymru to meet face-to-face with MSs and MPs to highlight the importance of Welsh food and farming to our politicians.

In particular, we were keen to highlight the key issues currently facing Welsh farming and the vital role we play in ensuring high quality, healthy and nutritious Welsh food is available to the consumer.

At NFU Cymru, we are proud to be the voice of Welsh farming, championing and representing farmers throughout Wales. Our vision is for a productive, profitable and progressive farming sector, producing world-renowned climate friendly food in an environment and landscape that provides habitats for our nature to thrive.

This is why it has never been more important for NFU Cymru to be in attendance at these political showpieces to highlight the importance of Welsh farming to politicians and key decision makers, particularly as Senedd elections draw ever closer. We will therefore follow-up by attending the conferences of the main parties in Wales between now and the end 2025, including the Welsh Conservatives’ conference in May and the Welsh Labour Party’s conference in June.