The President of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW), Ian Rickman, has responded following today’s UK Budget, which offers a partial but insufficient adjustment to the government’s damaging reforms to inheritance tax (IHT).
The FUW has repeatedly warned that the reforms, due to come into force next April, represent an existential long-term threat to Welsh family farms and the wider rural economy.
Throughout the year, the Union has undertaken extensive lobbying efforts, meeting with a wide range of MPs, Treasury officials, and other key decision-makers to press the case for protecting family farms.
Ahead of the UK Government’s Budget next week, the President of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, Ian Rickman, has written to every Member of Parliament across the UK to highlight the Union’s grave concerns about the UK Government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax, due to come into force next April.
This latest intervention follows months of lobbying by the FUW, which has consistently warned ministers and officials that the reforms represent an existential long-term threat to Welsh family farms and the wider rural economy.
Farmers and stakeholders across Wales have repeatedly raised fears that the proposals - if implemented in their current form - would accelerate the loss of family-run holdings and undermine the social fabric of rural communities.
Ahead of the UK Government’s Autumn Budget, the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has welcomed a new report from the UK Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee, which criticises the UK Government for its “complacency” in overlooking the long-term impact of its policies on the sustainability of Welsh agriculture.
In March 2025, the Committee launched an inquiry into the future of farming in Wales, seeking evidence from the FUW and other Welsh farming organisations on the challenges and opportunities facing Welsh agriculture, alongside the impact of UK Government policy on the sector.
On Tuesday (11 November), FUW’s Montgomeryshire Branch joined local businesses, stakeholders, MSs and a local school choir to celebrate Montgomeryshire Day with a reception in the Senedd.
The event, kindly hosted by Russell George MS, showcased the breadth and depth of the county’s rural enterprise - ranging from family farms and heritage wool to award-winning food and drink and unique tourism experiences - while giving businesses a platform to make new connections and share their priorities for growth.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Government regarding compulsory housing measures for poultry and captive birds across Wales, effective Thursday 13 November, in response to a significantly elevated risk of avian influenza.
All keepers of 50 or more birds of any species must house their birds. Mandatory housing also applies to flocks of fewer than 50 birds if eggs or poultry products are sold or given away. Additional biosecurity requirements will be introduced for the gamebird sector, which experienced outbreaks last season.
