Key issues facing Welsh farming highlighted
LAST weekend NFU Cymru attended the first Welsh political party conference of 2022. The Welsh Labour Party Conference was held in Llandudno over the weekend, and 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.
With so many of these vital opportunities to meet with our elected representatives having been cancelled over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was a great opportunity for us to take our key messages right to the heart of the political party and to speak to ministers and policymakers who make key decisions impacting the farming industry.
It was also a chance for us to meet with MSS and MPS that we wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to speak to, those with constituencies in a more urban area, and talk to them about the work of NFU Cymru. 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 for 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, key decision makers and influencers.
It was a chance to highlight our key priorities ahead of the introduction of the new Agriculture (Wales) Bill to the Senedd later this year, a bill that will set the direction of travel for how agriculture in Wales is supported for a generation to come.
Other matters we raised included our concerns over the recently announced trade deals with Australia and New Zealand and how these deals could impact on Welsh farmers and rural communities.
Another important topic of discussion was bovine TB and the massive economic and emotional heartache it causes farming families and why we continue to call for a comprehensive TB eradication strategy. We also talked about NFU Cymru’s #Growingtogether tree planting strategy that highlights how farmers can play their part in increasing the amount of woodland cover in Wales without impacting on our food production capabilities.
Our attendance at political party conferences is an important part of our lobbying work. NFU Cymru will also be in attendance at the Plaid Cymru Conference and the Welsh Conservative Party Conference this spring, as well as joining colleagues from the NFU at the UK party conferences, which are held in the autumn.