The Farmers’ Union of Wales has written to congratulate the newly appointed UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and set out the immediate and longer term concerns for Welsh agriculture and rural areas.
The long drawn-out campaign against former Chancellor Rishi Sunak concluded yesterday (5 September) with Ms Truss being appointed by a margin of 81,326 votes to 60,399.
In his letter to the new Prime Minister, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “On behalf of the FUW, I would like to congratulate you on your successful campaign and on having been appointed as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“The UK as a whole is facing turbulent times and while the next few years will be challenging for the UK government to navigate, we believe that the future of our food and farming industry and those family farms which are at its heart must play a central role in tackling immediate and longer term challenges for the country.”
Mr Roberts highlights in his letter that while many key agricultural policy decisions are devolved to Wales, the UK Government remains in control of a number of critical areas which continue to directly and indirectly affect Welsh agriculture and rural areas.
“At the Royal Welsh Show in July, the FUW launched a five point plan which we believe should be implemented to tackle impacts of the Ukraine war and other factors on farmers, food producers and consumers,” he said, going on to emphasise that, of those five points, four of them fall entirely or partially within the remit of the UK Government.
The letter emphasises the central role that renewable energy production on farms must play in terms of tackling the UK’s energy security crisis, stating that: “The UK Government should incentivise on-farm renewable energy production in order to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and imported energy and provide financial support for critical industries to ensure that our farmers are placed on an equal footing with farmers in the EU.”
Mr Roberts also highlights the FUW’s belief that the UK Government must seek to reset international trade policy such that food security is placed at the heart of policymaking, and that restoring good relations with our nearest neighbouring countries when it comes to food and energy security must be inherent to this. This again is part of the FUW’s five point plan.
“It is also essential that Wales’ food and farming sectors must be underpinned in future by the restoration of the annual budget the Welsh Government receives for agriculture from the UK Treasury, as was promised in the 2019 UK Conservative Party Manifesto,” said Mr Roberts.
“These are just some of the core concerns we have in the immediate and longer term, but I stress that the FUW is committed to working with you and the UK Government in terms of seeking to tackle the major challenges that lie ahead, and we look forward to meeting with you to discuss these issues in due course,” he said.