Carmarthenshire farmers quiz Senedd hopefuls

Ahead of May’s Senedd election, farmers were given the opportunity to question political representatives from across Wales’ political parties at a hustings event held at the White Hart Inn, Llandeilo, on Thursday 12 March.

The event was organised by the Carmarthenshire branches of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW), NFU Cymru and Carmarthenshire Young Farmers’ Club (YFC). The hustings provided a platform for party representatives to outline their priorities for agriculture and rural communities, as well as respond directly to questions from the audience.

Those in attendance were Parick Loxdale (Conservative), Rob James (Green), Wayne Erasmus (Gwlad), Calum Higgins (Labour), Justin Griffiths (Liberal Democrat), Cefin Campbell MS (Plaid Cymru), Bernard Holton (Reform), and Steve Williams (Independent).

The discussion was chaired by Carmarthenshire YFC’s Daniel O'Callaghan, with the evening focusing on a range of issues facing Welsh farmers and rural communities, including the Sustainable Farming Scheme, tackling Bovine TB, and pylons.

Commenting following the hustings, Carmarthenshire FUW Chair, Huw James said: “We’re very grateful to all candidates for taking their time to support this event. The discussion highlighted just how critical this election will be for the future of Welsh farming. Key issues including the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), the ongoing challenges surrounding bovine TB, and the future of agricultural budgets were central to the debate.

“It was encouraging to hear representatives set out their positions and respond directly to questions from farmers and rural residents. There are strong views across the sector, and events like this ensure those concerns are heard clearly ahead of polling day.”

This year’s Senedd election will see the number of seats increase from 60 to 96, with the new Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency formed from the existing Caerfyrddin and Llanelli Westminster constituencies. The new constituency will elect six Senedd Members via a proportional voting system.