Welsh suckler herd drops 40% over two decades

Welsh suckler herd numbers have fallen by nearly 40% over two decades to just 6,595 herds in 2023, and the sector needs urgent support, says the NFU Cymru.

Launching the Welsh Suckler Beef Production: Addressing Decline and Securing a Sustainable Future report on Friday 6 February, the union called on the government to help rebuild critical mass.

The UK is 85% self-sufficient in beef, the report highlights, importing 154,000t in 2023 and an estimated 164,000t in 2024.

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This shortfall to meet UK demand is projected to increase further, to 278,000t by 2030.

The union says urgent action is therefore needed to support the 6,000-plus suckler cow herds in Wales, which contribute £390m to the economy and represent about 18.6% of agricultural output.

NFU Cymru livestock board chairman Rob Lewis said: “With focused support, fit-for-purpose policies and a regulatory backdrop that works with these businesses, Wales’ suckler herd can continue to be a success story for our environment, economy and culture for many years to come.”

He added that these herds had been integral to “shaping and managing our landscapes over generations and played a vital role for our rural economy, too”.

Targeted support

With high production costs and margins severely challenged without support, NFU Cymru called on the next Welsh government to introduce targeted suckler herd support (as exists in Scotland) to halt the decline and rebuild critical mass.

Suckler businesses, NFU Cymru said, were also faced with the significant risk posed by bovine TB and must operate against a heavily regulated backdrop, which carried sizeable costs and placed further disproportionate strain on small family farms.

The next Welsh government should therefore commit to a ring-fenced, annual budget of more than £500m for Welsh farming, with at least 70% allocated to the universal layer of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) to ensure stability.

Independent review

In addition to an independent review of the regulatory burden affecting the whole industry, a wider review was needed to ensure policy and regulation measures proactively supported the suckler beef sector and supply chain, NFU Cymru said. 

It also called for a comprehensive “farm to fork” food strategy and for the effectiveness of meat promotions body Hybu Cig Cymru to be enhanced, to maximise value for levy payers.

The Welsh government, it added, should support export growth by match-funding levy payers’ contributions.