NFU Cymru President Abi Reader will tell today’s Sustainable Farming Conference that an enabling policy framework would create a ‘monumental opportunity’ for Welsh farmers to deliver for food security and the environment.
During her address at the sixth annual NFU Cymru/Wynnstay Sustainable Farming Conference on Tuesday 30th June, NFU Cymru President Abi Reader will call on Welsh Government to match the industry’s ambitions with policies that enable the best outcomes for food production, the environment and rural communities.
In her conference opening speech at Pant Farm in Abergavenny, she will say:
“The Senedd elections in May have ushered in a new government. This new political landscape provides us with a renewed opportunity to refocus the relationship between government and the farming industry in Wales.
“With change comes uncertainty – but also opportunity. I want to focus firmly on that opportunity. At NFU Cymru, we believe that we have a genuine opportunity to secure a productive, profitable and progressive future for Welsh farming – if we get the policy framework right.
“We need a policy framework that recognises that the best outcomes for food production, for the environment and for rural communities will only be achieved when farmers are part of the solution from the outset. This has never been more important.
“We must place Welsh farming in a global context. Across the world food security is rising up the political agenda – and rightly so, given the events of recent years have shown how fragile and vulnerable global supply chains can be.
“In this context, the ability to produce food domestically – sustainably and to high standards – is not just a farming issue, it’s a national strategic priority. This was recently recognised by the UK Climate Change Committee which has recommended that from now through to 2050, domestic food production as a share of food consumed in the UK should be sustainably maintained at 60% at least.
“Welsh farmers are ready to play our part. We are blessed with the natural resources and a workforce with commitment, skills and expertise to be able to do this. But we need the policy framework that enables us to do so.”
During the Sustainable Farming Conference, NFU Cymru is expected to make a series of asks of the new Welsh Government. This will include the creation of a comprehensive Farm to Fork Food Strategy and a multi-annual agricultural budget that is increased to keep pace with inflation.
NFU Cymru President Abi Reader will also call upon the Welsh Government to continue evolving the Sustainable Farming Scheme where change is shown to be needed. She will state ‘the scheme must work for farmers – not just on paper, but in practice.’ As part of this, she will seek assurances that at least 70% of the budget for the scheme’s universal layer is protected, whilst also asking for changes within a number of the universal actions.
Ms Reader will add:
“We all want to see a Wales that has profitable farming businesses and a country where food production is valued and supported. We all wish to see Wales’ environmental outcomes delivered in partnership with farmers and our rural communities thrive. We also want our next generation to see a viable future in farming. This is not an unrealistic vision. It is entirely achievable, but it requires alignment – between policy and practice, between ambition and delivery.
“To the new government, I say this: let us use the monumental opportunity we have to make this happen.
“As we stand here today at Pant Farm, surrounded by the landscapes that define our nation, we should feel a strong sense of optimism. Despite the challenges, Welsh farming has a proud history of resilience and innovation. We have adapted before – and we will adapt again.”
