As farmers gather at Pembrokeshire Show this week, there will be one clear message for the new First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS as the Farmers’ Union of Wales meets her on the showground. The Sustainable Farming Scheme must consider economic, social and environmental sustainability on an equal basis at its very core.

The message from FUW Pembrokeshire Chair, Gerwyn Williams, comes as he and other Union officials prepare their inaugural meeting with Eluned Morgan MS in her new role as First Minister of Wales at the two-day show at Haverfordwest (14 and 15 August).

“This will be an opportunity for us, as a Union, to formally congratulate Eluned Morgan on her appointment and we’ll make full use of the meeting to convey the most important message from the industry, as we reach this important milestone of setting out a brand new agricultural support scheme for Wales. The new scheme needs to be accessible and achievable for all active farmers in Wales.

“We must, by working together, create a scheme that works practically for agricultural businesses, which meets the government's own principle of ensuring value for money while at the same time supports farmers to produce food, protect the supply chain and protect the environment.

“For this to be achieved, we will be urging the First Minister to build constructive relations with the UK Labour Government so that Welsh agriculture receives the right level of financial support, to underpin the economic viability of our industry."

Gerwyn Williams, a council tenant farmer near Letterston, relays his message following a report by the Commission for Welsh speaking Communitiesthat recommends that the Welsh Government ensures that the Welsh language is central to formulating the agricultural policy.

The report titled 'Empowering communities, strengthening the Welsh language' published by the Commission, on behalf of the Welsh Government, at the Eisteddfod last week recommends: ‘There should be support for the family farm, and the principle of the importance of the family farm should be reflected in other policies such as environmental policy.’

“The report states that 43.1%* of the agricultural, forestry and fishing industry workforce speak Welsh - the highest proportion of Welsh speakers of all economic sectors in Wales.

“This is another reason for ensuring that the Sustainable Farming Scheme is designed in collaboration with the industry. It will be an additional boost to the Welsh Government’s ambitious target of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

“Any proposals for future policy which compromise Welsh farm businesses, farming communities or Welsh agriculture in general would represent a significant threat to the industry within which the greatest percentage of Welsh speakers is preserved,” Gerwyn Williams concluded.