Farming union calls for more stability in sector

THE next Welsh Government needs to provide stability and long-term support to farming, which employs more than the 50,000 in Wales, says the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) in its Senedd election manifesto.

- SION BARRY Business editor

Ahead of the election next spring, the FUW says the next administration needs to deliver a five-year financial framework for the Sustainable Farming Scheme budget, which will be introduced at the beginning of next year, inorder to provide medium-term economic certainty for Welsh farming businesses - aligned with the reporting requirements of the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023.

The manifesto, Standing Strong for Family Farms, adds that the next Welsh Government needs to work closely with the industry to deliver a scheme that secures a thriving and sustainable future for family farms, including a funding uplift from the current budget of £238m.

The union is also calling for a index-linked budget to provide certainty for the future so that farming businesses can make well-informed decisions with confidence.

While not a devolved matter, the FUW said above all else the Welsh Government should look to the UK Government to make changes to inheritance tax relief in order to protect Wales’ family farms and “prevent irreparable damage to our agricultural heritage”.