Farmers’ Union of Wales respond to latest Welsh Government farm income data

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has responded to data released today by the Welsh Government on Farm Income Data for April 2023 to March 2024.

The latest data showed that average Farm Business incomes in Wales have fallen by 39% year-on-year. 

In 2023-24, estimated dairy farm income has dropped by 59% to £67,500 - drastically reducing from an all-time high in 2022-23. The latest data also showed a drop in income for Cattle and sheep in Less Favoured Areas (LFA) farms, falling by 9% in 2023-24 to £22,000.

Commenting on the figures, Farmers’ Union of Wales President, Ian Rickman said:

"The latest statistics on Farm Business Incomes in Wales demonstrate the economic reality of attempting to maintain levels of profitability against a backdrop of increasing costs and red tape.

"Dairy farms have seen significant declines due to both an average increase of 10% in overall farm business costs coupled with reductions in income.

"Across the board, however, the proportion of farm businesses in Wales generating a negative income continues to increase to over 20%. At the very least, this demonstrates the need for the future Sustainable Farming Scheme to offer an equal level of economic stability, currently provided through the Basic Payment Scheme, the maintenance of which for 2025 has been welcomed by the industry.”

The farm incomes data used in the release are derived from the annual Farm Business Survey (FBS).

Full Welsh Government data is available via the link below:

https://www.gov.wales/farm-incomes-april-2023-march-2024-html 

Farmers’ Union of Wales marks 70 years with breakfast week

As 2025 kicks off, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) will once again be hosting hearty breakfast events across Wales this January to bring people together, and raise money towards a good causes.

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and it is a great opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and enjoy a plate of premium produce whilst sharing their thoughts before starting a busy day.

The breakfasts form part of the FUW’s annual Farmhouse breakfast week, a stalwart of the Welsh agricultural calendar, which will see 24 breakfast events held across Wales this January.

The week will also mark two milestones for the Farmers’ Union of Wales, as it celebrates seventy years since its formation in 1955, and fifteen years since the county breakfast events were first trialled in Caernarfonshire in 2010. 

The week will see the breakfasts dotted across Wales in farmhouses, village halls, cafes and livestock markets, as well as an event in Cardiff Bay, bringing together politicians and policy makers. The event, kindly sponsored by Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Jane Dodds MS, will also see a speech from Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca Davies MS.

Proceeds from the breakfasts will be donated towards the Wales Air Ambulance and other local charities. Last year’s FUW Farmhouse breakfast week raised over £17,500 towards the Wales Air Ambulance.

The FUW breakfasts are also an opportunity to promote and showcase the quality premium local produce that farmers grow in a sustainable way and throughout breakfast week the FUW will shine a spotlight on the importance of our rural economy.

Commenting ahead of the FUW’s Farmhouse breakfast week, President Ian Rickman said: 

“From Llangefni to Llanarthne, the farmhouse breakfast week is one of the highlights of the year,  providing an opportunity to start the day together with family, friends and neighbours, in a positive way and at the same time raise money towards our charitable causes.

"This year’s breakfast week will be even more special, with the FUW celebrating 70 years since its foundation in 1955. A lot has changed over the past seventy years, agriculturally, socially and politically, but the FUW’s commitment to our family farms and rural communities remains unwavering.

"All of us are looking forward to yet another good turnout. It’s fair to say that a healthy start is not just good for a healthy heart but also for a healthy mind.”

Guto Bebb, FUW Group Chief Executive added:

“With short days, bleak weather and plenty to do on the farmyard, January can often be a tough time for many farmers. The FUW Breakfast week offers a welcome opportunity to come together over a warm, nutritious meal and have a chat and catch-up.

"At what is a difficult time for the sector, we particularly look forward to the event in Cardiff again this year - ensuring politicians and policy makers hear the needs and asks of the Welsh agricultural sector.” 

Farmers’ Union of Wales comment on German case of Foot and Mouth disease

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has responded to a reported case of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in Germany.

The disease was discovered in a water buffalo on a farm in Märkisch-Oderland, Brandenburg in the east of the country on 10 January. This is the first case of foot and mouth disease in Germany for almost 40 years.

Foot and Mouth disease does not pose a risk to human health or food safety.

In response to the case, the UK Government has announced it is banning the import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany as it steps up measures to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth disease. It was also confirmed import health certificates will no longer be issued for animals susceptible to Foot and mouth disease including for all live animals and fresh meat.

Commenting on the situation, Farmers’ Union of Wales President, Ian Rickman, said:

"The recent case of Foot and Mouth disease in Germany will be a source of concern for livestock farmers across Europe.

"The news will inevitably rekindle memories of the far-reaching impact the disease had on the agriculture sector and the countryside as a whole over two decades ago in 2001, and acts as a timely reminder of the importance of thorough checks at our borders so that this disease is not imported into the UK.

"We welcome the steps that have been initially pursued by German authorities, together with the decision by UK Government to ban the import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany. We will keep a close eye as the situation develops, and encourage livestock keepers to remain vigilant.”

Foot and Mouth Disease is a legally notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect a notifiable disease in your animals you must report it immediately by calling the Government Helpline. Failure to do so is an offence.

The number to report a suspect case is:

03000 200 301 in England

0300 303 268 in Wales

Column - Working for Welsh farmers

With the children returning to school this week, Christmas already feels like a distant memory. This is particularly true for farmers who spent most of the holiday period again enduring the spates of bad weather and continuing with the day-to-day work on the farmyard. 

Indeed, these long hours were highlighted last week in the Farmers’ Weekly annual Sentiment Survey of the farming sector, which found that, on average, farmers take just over seven days a year away as holiday per year. Interestingly, it was farmers in Wales that took the shortest breaks, with 29% of respondents saying they had no time away at all in a year.

Looking back at 2024, unsurprisingly perhaps, the survey identified the greatest challenge facing farmers of the past 12-months was extreme weather. Of the record 767 respondents to the survey, 40% of farmers saw weather as the main challenge (up from 31% last year). This will come as little surprise for Welsh farmers, who will recall last winter’s deluge of wet weather which caused havoc both for crops and during lambing. More recently, of course, we’ve seen storms Conall and Darragh usher in their own challenges - from flooding to damage to buildings and vehicles. With the climate and weather becoming increasingly extreme and unpredictable, how the sector learns to endure and adapt to these challenges will be key over the coming years. 

Beyond the weather, it will come as little surprise to Welsh farmers that the second cause of concern for farmers was government policy. A fifth of respondents saw this as the greatest challenge to the sector (up 16%), with concern in Wales particularly sizable. 

Considering the unrest and frustration seen across Wales and beyond over the past 12 months, the results of this survey are no surprise to Welsh farmers. Again, the concerns echoes discontent in the sector following the initial Sustainable Farming Scheme proposals, as well as the Welsh Government’s inaction over bTB and the introduction of the NVZ regulations which ignored the advice of Farmers and Natural Resources Wales. 

Whilst progress has been made in the interim regarding the revised SFS proposals, much of this has been overshadowed by the UK Government’s proposed reforms to inheritance tax.  This has caused frustration and a feeling of betrayal within the farming sector. Too often we’ve seen governments at both ends of the M4 impose a top down approach to law-making which has led to anger and disillusionment within the sector.

Considering concerns surrounding the extreme weather, government policy, and many other challenges, perhaps it’s unsurprising “demoralised” came out on top in the survey when farmers were asked how they feel about life in the agricultural sector. 

However, despite the pessimism in the sector, it is crucial we do remember the crucial work Welsh farmers undertake on a daily basis in producing high quality food and safeguarding the environment. With a new year in front of us, the Farmers’ Union of Wales will continue to fight to ensure Welsh agriculture sectors’ concerns are heard loud and clear.

2025 - President’s New Year column

“How long would it last?” Those were the questions of December and January. Not even the most ‘disloyal’ of farmers would have ventured to give to the Union more than three months at the outside. Well now, despite the critics, despite the harsh words, and looking back, the Union, despite everything, has thrived and gone from strength to strength.”

The opening line of the first ever edition of Y Tir, published on January 1st 1957 - referencing the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ formation in the twilight of 1955.

Despite the dramatic changes we’ve seen in agriculture, society and governance over the past seven decades, the Farmers’ Union of Wales’ support of Welsh farmers has remained unwavering. Indeed, it fills me with pride that despite the drastic changes and challenges endured by the sector, the Union’s core value of safeguarding Welsh family farms remains as central to our work today as it was seventy years ago.

As we therefore mark this important milestone in the FUW’s existence, I look forward to engaging with members and the sector in celebrations and events across Wales throughout 2025. This will provide an opportunity not only to look back at the Union’s story and successes, but also the chance to consider the wider challenges and opportunities that face Welsh farming today in the twenty-first century. 

Considering the upheaval and uncertainty seen within the sector in 2024, I do hope 2025 will provide greater stability for farmers than the previous 12 months. To this end, we do welcome the Welsh Government’s commitment to maintain the Basic Payment Scheme ceiling at £238m as part of their draft budget for 2025-2026. Maintaining BPS funding - which remains so crucial to so many farmers - is to be welcomed, however it's disappointing that this figure has seen no uplift again this year to allow for inflation, which has been eroding the value of our BPS payments, in real terms, for the last 10 years. Questions also remain as to how the funding for agriculture in Wales compares with the previous investment from European support programmes, as well as how agricultural funding will be ringfenced as part of a revised Welsh Government departmental structure which now sees Climate Change and Rural Affairs together.

On the topic of farming funding, all eyes will inevitably be drawn to the Welsh Government’s statement this summer on the payment modelling for the Sustainable Farming Scheme, The FUW has welcomed the opportunity to play a collaborative role in revising the SFS from the disastrous initial proposals - helping ensure the scrapping of 10% tree cover, whilst recognising common land and SSSIs. However, as we’ve made clear throughout, the devil will be in the detail, and the importance of an adequately funded scheme will not only be of paramount importance to the future of our family farms, but for rural Wales as a whole. 

Funding aside, we also eagerly await developments from the Welsh Government on both the NVZs review, and the work of the TB Eradication Programme Delivery Plan. Both NVZs and bTB provide huge challenges for the sustainability of Welsh farmers, and collaborative working with the sector will be key to address the varying problems stemming from both issues.

Turning to Westminster, from an agricultural perspective much of the recent discourse has focused on the changes to the inheritance tax and APR following October’s Budget. With the frustration and anger within the sector regarding the changes continuing to boil over, we will continue to press for the UK Government to review this policy, and the detriment it could cause to family farms and the farming sector in its entirety.

On the home front here at Gurnos, Sean and I are also looking forward to another year farming in partnership, and I'm sure he will have plenty of fresh ideas to move the business forward, picked up on his recent trip to New Zealand. 

As usual the weather will play a crucial role in our farming year and let's hope it's better than last year! Prices remain buoyant for our beef and lamb as we enter 2025 and long may that continue. The ewes are looking well as we start the year, but let's see how lambing goes.”Don't count your chickens before the eggs hatch “ is the phrase that aways comes to mind at this time of year. It seems relatively quiet here now that all the Wagyu calves have moved on to their new homes, and a decision hasn't been made yet about how many we will try and rear again this year, but more news on that in the coming months. 

A lot has changed since 1955, but ultimately the crucial role of Welsh farmers in producing high quality food, and maintaining the environment remains as important as ever before. Alongside FUW members, officers and staff, I look forward to another busy year, continuing to ensure the needs and interests of Welsh family farms are heard loud and clear. 

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Ca parte a parteneriatului nostru cu FUW, cazinoul nostru online Ice Casino lansează o serie de jocuri cu tematică agricolă, unde o parte din încasări vor merge în sprijinul agriculturii.