Wales first minister’s support comments provoke anger

Comments from Wales first minister Eluned Morgan about funding for farming have sparked fury with unions and farmers alike – a week before full details the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) are expected to be revealed.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday (8 July), Welsh Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Samuel Kurtz asked how confident the first minister was that this new iteration of the SFS will not lead to a mass protest on the steps of the Senedd again.

Mrs Morgan responded that the deputy first minister had spent many hours listening to farmers and environmental groups about their concerns, and how they would like to see the SFS work.

See also: Wales urged to learn lessons from England’s SFI blunders

She then added: “Yes, the agricultural community needs to be supported, and boy are they supported – over £250m worth of support on an annual basis.

“That’s quite a big amount of support for a sector that contributes less than 1% to the GDP of the country.”

The remarks have sparked outrage among Welsh farm lobby groups.

Digon yw Digon called the comments shocking, saying: “Food security and food on your plate is worth far more than any GDP figure, first minister.”

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said it was frustrating to hear the comments from the first minister “who appears to have overlooked the unparalleled contribution that Welsh farming makes to society in Wales”.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) urged the first minister to reconsider her comments and said Welsh farm funding should not be seen as a burden.

“It is an indispensable investment in the future of our food security and the wellbeing of all of Wales – from farm to fork,” said FUW president Ian Rickman.

CLA Cymru added the first minister’s statement was deeply misleading and, at best, failed to reflect the foundational role agriculture plays across multiple sectors of the rural economy and, at worst, signalled a deep misunderstanding of the rural economy.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network added that while it is right that public money is scrutinised to ensure it is well spent, it is disappointing that the first minister overlooked the multiple benefits of nature-friendly farming for Wales, which should be seen as a cost-effective solution to many of the biggest problems currently faced. 

Industry contributions

Welsh farming employs nearly 50,000 people on farms with about 230,000 employed across the entire food and drink supply chain, making it Wales’ biggest employer, NFU Cymru highlighted.

Farm output is valued at more than £2.2bn annually and underpins a Welsh food sector worth £9.3bn to the economy of Wales.

For every £1 of public money invested through direct support, farming delivers £9 back to the economy of Wales.

And with 43% of farmers speaking Welsh, farming families play a crucial role in underpinning the Welsh language, culture and the social fabric of rural Wales, the unions point out.

Farming voices

Bala hill beef and sheep farmer Geraint Davies said: “Her comments demonstrate a naive understanding of the role both farmers and the farmed landscape play culturally, socially, ecologically and economically.”

Llanfrothen beef and sheep farmer Olwen Ford added: “The unquantified value of landscape and environmental care and maintenance provided, using farmers knowledge, skills and animals that provide food in the process, has been completely ignored by our first minister.”

Welsh government response 

Welsh government maintains it recognises the role farmers play in Wales’s economy and it looks forward to announcing the final Sustainable Farming Scheme shortly.