Updated August 2025
Supporting our farmers
The Welsh Farming Sector employs around 50,000 people on our farms, with around 230,000 also employed across the entire food and drink supply chain. In addition to this for every £1 of public money invested into farming, £9 is delivered back to the Welsh economy. Farming output is valued at over £2.2 billion annually, and the Welsh food sector is worth £9.3 billion to Wales’ economy. For these reasons I believe Welsh and UK Governments need to do more to support the industry.
In July (2025) the Welsh Government published further information, including payment rates and details of the transition, for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). This will be the primary source of government support for Welsh farming starting in 2026.
There are aspects of the scheme that can be cautiously welcomed, notably the scrapping of the 10% tree planting requirement, though a scheme-wide tree planting target remains alongside a 10% habitat target. This could reduce food production in Wales. The decision to slash Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) support to 60% of current levels in 2026, with further reductions expected in future years will put enormous pressure on an already struggling sector.
Crucially without an accompanying economic impact assessment, we are still in the dark about the real-world consequences of the Welsh Government’s scheme. There is a lack of clarity and security around future funding, and without a vote in the Senedd the new scheme lacks democratic legitimacy in my view. It is unacceptable to announce a major shift in farm support without providing any assessment of the likely economic impact. How can farmers, communities, or policymakers make informed decisions when the Government refuses to show what the consequences will be
The Welsh Government decision to not align with England from 1 July 2025 in regard to bluetongue policy is a disastrous one, and one that is already costing the Mid Wales economy significantly. I have spoken widely to those involved in the sector and raised the issue several times in the Senedd. Because the Welsh Government has taken a different policy position, Welsh farmers moving animals from England into Wales will face pre-movement tests costing up to £70 per animal. This will cause much impact on livestock markets and the rural economy.
Turning to the UK Government’s inheritance tax changes, I believe this will lead to the breakup of family farms. Many families will simply have to sell off parts of their farm, making the business less viable. To reiterate, rural economies depend on the farming industry. The consequences of family farms dwindling away is that we will become more reliant on food supplied from outside the UK. This is of course a matter for the Westminster Parliament, but I have raised it in the Senedd also.
The Welsh Government also needs to do so much more to tackle the devastation that Bovine TB causes. I believe that a holistic approach to defeating the disease is required; working in partnership with farmers and vets to eradicate the reservoir of infection within herds, eliminate inter-herd transmission and the targeted removal of infected wildlife, who themselves suffer a painful death due to TB.
Another growing area of concern in recent years has been the increasing pressure on farming businesses from government regulation. The farming industry has been looking after our countryside for centuries, but the burden of further unnecessary regulation, and again a one-size-fits-all approach, is why I and Welsh Conservatives voted against The Water Resources (Control of Agricultural Pollution) (Wales) Regulations (NVZs). The additional burden in Wales also makes farmers less competitive than farming businesses often just a few miles away over the border.
To support our farming businesses and rural communities, the UK Government must scrap the family farm tax and ensure trade deals protect Welsh farmers. The current and the next Welsh Governments must ensure there is a properly funded Welsh Farming Scheme with food security at its heart, commit to the eradication of Bovine TB, scrap the-all Wales nitrate vulnerable zones, and change public procurement rules to promote Welsh produce and protect the agricultural budget.
I am pleased that the farming sector has the support of the public, many of whom are not linked to the industry. This support needs to be maintained and it is incumbent on both the farming sector and politicians like me who fully support the industry’s calls, to underline exactly why we need to back our farmers. We need policies that work for rural Wales, not just ones that sound good on paper in Cardiff Bay.