The event, which was held at the Norwegian Church on Tuesday 24 January 2023, heard the Union President highlight that the Agriculture Bill currently being considered by the Senedd - a Bill that represents the biggest changes for Welsh agriculture since the UK joined the European Union - has the potential to solve many of the issues the country is currently facing.

“Almost by definition, farmers are food producers, and it is worth remembering at this, our first Senedd Breakfast event held since the pandemic threw the entire world into turmoil in 2020, how close we came to critical breakdowns in our global and domestic food supply chain during the pandemic.

“Our supply chains continue to suffer the aftereffects of the darkest days of the pandemic, on top of which we are now facing the impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine - a war in which Vladimir Putin has weaponised not only energy, but also food - as recently highlighted in the World Economic Forum,” said Glyn Roberts.

Mr Roberts reminded Members of the Senedd that as politicians they are expected to consider and act on global, national and local challenges for their constituents. Global events, he stressed, which impact farming, and therefore everyone who eats today, have led to increases in agricultural input costs approaching 30% in the UK, while consumer food prices have risen alarmingly - but by a fraction of that rate. In addition, climate change is creating difficult growing conditions for farmers, with 2022 being the warmest year on record for the UK.

This, Mr Roberts said, is against a background whereby the UK’s reliance on other countries for food has almost doubled since the mid 1980s, with 40% of UK food now imported compared with around 22% in the mid 1980s. This includes indigenous foods that can be produced in the UK, with the reliance increasing five fold, from 5% to 25% during the same period - something that may worsen as the UK Government strikes dangerously liberal trade deals with major food exporting nations such as Australia and New Zealand.

“But devolution gives us the opportunity to create local and Wales specific solutions to these problems, in the form of the Agriculture Bill currently being considered by the Senedd - a Bill that represents the biggest changes for Welsh agriculture since the UK joined the European Union. And at the heart of those solutions are the family farms that are the backbone of our food production, our rural economies and culture, and our valued environments and landscapes,” he said.

Those joining the Union for breakfast in Cardiff also heard that the FUW believes that such an important and groundbreaking piece of legislation must explicitly seek to ensure the economic viability of farming families and the rural economy in Wales - not just in narrative, or by accident, but by design.

“This would ensure that the Bill is truly holistic - that is, balancing the internationally recognised pillars of environmental, social and economic sustainability. And we all know what happens when one of the legs is removed from a three legged stool.

“Making land management decisions and creating environmental outcomes for Wales cannot happen in isolation to our farming businesses, the families who work the land, or the local and global markets we produce for,” said Mr Roberts.

He added that farmers manage over 80% of the land in Wales for their livelihoods, and therefore the Bill and the support policies which follow must ensure they are economically resilient businesses, which can invest in and deliver on these environmental Sustainable Land Management objectives while also producing economic multiplier effects for both the wider rural economy and the food supply chain, in addition to their unique contribution to rural communities and the Welsh language.

Mr Roberts further reminded Members of the Senedd of another essential role Wales’ family farms increasingly play - renewable energy production.

“I need not remind you of the energy security crisis that Putin's actions have revealed so starkly, and we have only tapped into a fraction of the potential for our family farms to further contribute to tackling this while reducing their own carbon footprints and continuing to feed our nations’ populations.

“The grave dangers of throwing caution to the wind when it comes to food and energy security are there for all to see, so whatever path Westminster decides to follow, let us ensure that our devolved administrations here in Wales take an holistic approach to our responsibilities to local, national and global populations,” concluded Mr Roberts.