The Farmers’ Union of Wales has responded to a Welsh Government consultation on reviewing Wales’ renewable energy targets, acknowledging the need to set targets which go beyond 2030.

On-farm renewable energy production has been high on the FUW’s agenda for decades. However, the importance of such has been brought into sharp focus over recent years as the UK faces an energy crisis. Farms continue to seek ways in which they can diversify and the focus on reaching net zero is increasing.

The abolition of Feed in Tariffs and the Welsh Government business rates relief scheme for privately owned hydropower projects has led to a significant slowdown in on-farm investment into renewable energy sources, weakening the environmental benefits associated with private initiatives and diminishing the momentum of reaching the ‘70% of Wales’ electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030’ target.

Following a request made by the then UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on 1st February 2021, and formal trade negotiations thereafter, the UK Government announced on 31st March 2023 that negotiations on the UK’s accession to the CPTPP had substantially concluded.

The CPTPP is a trade bloc of 11 current members that is populated by around half a billion people with a joint gross domestic product (GDP) of £9 trillion in 2021. These include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

In the 12 months to the end of Q3 2022, trade between the UK and CPTPP was worth £110.9 billion, representing around 6.8% of total UK trade, including £60.5 million worth of UK exports to the trading bloc.

Farmers’ Union of Wales officials have discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the wool industry with representatives from British Wool at their grading depot in Newtown.

The constructive meeting allowed both the FUW and British Wool to discuss how local, national and global influences have an impact on commodity markets and subsequently on Welsh farmers.

During the pandemic, the reduced demand for wool from China meant that UK producers received average balance payments of 17 pence per kg for the 2019 clip, some 70% less than the payments received in the previous year.

Farmers protest party changes Dutch political landscape

The Farmer–Citizen Movement political party in the Netherlands won 15 out of 75 seats in the Dutch regional elections in March. The shock result has made them the largest political party in the Netherlands.

The party was created in the aftermath of large-scale protests in 2019 against the government’s proposed regulation of nitrogen-based fertiliser, as well as other environmental policies. 

The party is also opposed to government plans that will cut nitrogen and ammonia emissions by 50% in the next decade. The government plans to achieve this by buying thousands of farms and drastically reducing the number of domestic livestock.