Summer might be over, but the heat is just beginning for Welsh agriculture! The Farmers’ Union of Wales has been busy lobbying politicians on the vital issues impacting our farms. From declining profits to unfair trade deals, they’re pushing for big changes. What will the future hold for our rural communities?

As the August bank holiday recedes into memory, signaling the imminent return of politicians to the Senedd and Westminster, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has vigorously utilized the summer period to advocate for critical issues impacting Welsh agriculture.

This crucial window offers unparalleled opportunities for the FUW to engage directly with Members of the Senedd (MSs) and Members of Parliament (MPs), particularly at local agricultural shows, which serve as vibrant platforms showcasing the resilience and challenges of rural Wales.

A significant focus of the FUW’s summer agenda has been its detailed response to the UK Government’s Farm Profitability Review, spearheaded by Baroness Minette Batters, underscoring the pressing need for policy reform to secure the future of farming.

Indeed, farming across the UK, with a particular emphasis on smaller family farms, is grappling with substantial challenges to both profitability and overall economic viability, creating an urgent imperative for governmental intervention and strategic support.

In its evidence submitted to the review, the FUW explicitly highlighted deep-seated concerns that both the UK and Welsh governments currently lack a comprehensive understanding of the indispensable role of direct farm support and the inherent complexities within the national food system, drawing parallels to historical Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) frameworks.

Historically, policies under the CAP were designed to balance low consumer food prices with equitable farm incomes, a model that led many Welsh farms, especially in Less Favoured Areas (LFA), to become heavily dependent on direct payments, with some struggling to achieve positive incomes solely from agricultural product sales.

Recent alarming data from the Farm Business Survey further illustrates this precarious situation, revealing a staggering 39% real-term decline in Farm Business Income (FBI) across Wales between 2023-2024, with LFA cattle and sheep farms experiencing a notable 15% reduction, signalling an unsustainable trend.

Therefore, it is unequivocally clear that both the UK and Welsh governments must promptly introduce robust legislation for monitoring food security, enhancing public procurement practices, and bolstering processing capacity, recognizing these as critical components of national security.

Adding to the sector’s woes, the FUW maintains that recent international trade agreements, such as those forged with Australia and New Zealand, have demonstrably failed to establish a level playing field for UK farmers, despite repeated assurances from government officials, further exacerbating existing market pressures on Welsh agriculture.