The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has met with the recently elected First Minister for Wales, Vaughan Gething, and new Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies, to discuss the way forward for the farming industry.
The FUW welcomes this early opportunity to outline the current challenges faced as a farming industry and to discuss possible next steps with the newly appointed First Minister and Cabinet Secretary following the FUW’s request for an urgent meeting.
The FUW made it very clear that the feeling of frustration and anxiety within the industry still very much exists, and presented the FUW’s extensive Sustainable Farming Scheme consultation response and a list of the FUW’s key asks to the Cabinet Secretary.
The FUW also welcomes the recognition and appreciation from both the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary of the current situation the industry finds itself in. This is a crucial first step in understanding the severity of the problems faced and finding the best way forward to address them.
What the FUW wants to see is the establishment of a small focussed stakeholder group tasked with discussing and proposing changes to the scheme through genuine co-design.
The recent Government reshuffle is certainly positive news for the industry as it presents a new opportunity for meaningful change to the current proposals. The FUW look forward to regular meetings with the Cabinet Secretary, and First Minister, to ensure that the final version of the Sustainable Farming Scheme properly delivers for Welsh farmers.