∙ Leaders of the Brexit campaign promised that leaving the EU would not lead to reduced funding for  farming and rural areas 

∙ The 2019 Conservative Manifesto stated “...we will guarantee the current annual [Common  Agricultural Policy (CAP)] budget to farmers in every year of the next Parliament” 

∙ The EU CAP budget for Wales for the period 2014-2020, confirmed on 8th November 2013 by the then Secretary  of State for Environment Owen Paterson was “…a pillar 1 (direct payment) allocation of around €2,245  million, and pillar 2 allocation of around €355 million”  (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-cap-allocations-announced )

∙ This is a total of €2.6 billion over the seven year (2014-2020) CAP budgetary period – an average of  £331 million a year based on the £0.89/€ exchange rate fixed by the UK Government ∙ On 25th November 2020 the UK Government announced that Wales’ 2021-2022 financial year  allocation for agriculture and rural development would be £242 million - £89 million less than the  average annual EU CAP allocation for the period 2014-2020 

∙ The £242 million figure for the 2021-2022 financial year is £95 million less than the £337 million  received in the 2019 funding ‘baseline’ defined by the UK Government to calculate Wales’ allocation ∙ The UK Government maintains that the total budget available to Wales in 2021-2022 should be judged  to be the sum of the £242 million announced on 25th November 2020 and the £95 million in unspent  EU funding from the 2014-2020 funding period 

The Anglesey branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is helping members prepare for the next lambing season with a special webinar.  The webinar is open to all members and takes place via Zoom on Tuesday 8 December at 7pm. 

Joining the virtual event is Veterinary Surgeon Alwyn Llewelyn Jones BVMS, DipACVP, FRCPath, MRCVS who is going to share hints, tips and best practices on preparing the flock for the lambing season.  Mr Jones is now a veterinary pathologist on the Scottish Borders working for the Scottish Rural University College (SRUC) but has spent many years working as a vet at a local practice so will be a familiar face to many. 

Also joining the event will be Dyfrig Hughes on behalf of For Farmers to answer any nutrient related questions members might have.

FUW Anglesey County Executive Officer Alaw Jones said: “ We are looking forward to welcoming members from across Wales to this special webinar, which aims to answer any questions farmers might have in how to best prepare for the next lambing season. I look forward to virtually seeing many of you on the night.”

To book your place at the webinar, members need to contact the Anglesey County Office on 01248 750 250 or via email on  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Dyfed-Powys Police is advising the farming community to be extremely wary of any suspicious calls, texts or emails as a scam specifically targeting the agricultural sector has been identified.

During December farmers start to receive payments through the SFP (Single Farm Payment). Information about the payments is publically available, meaning criminals are able to directly target victims making their approaches appear more convincing.

The scam communications will typically claim that fraud has been detected on the farmer’s bank account and that urgent action is required to safeguard funds.

The victim is then persuaded to divulge personal or financial information, or even to transfer money directly into a so-called ‘safe account’.

With some grants worth thousands of pounds, in past years fraudsters have stolen significant amounts of money from their victims. 

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has branded the UK Government’s decision to slash Wales’ agricultural budget as a ‘Brexit betrayal’, after chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed in Wednesday’s (November 25) spending review that the budget would be cut by at least £95 million for the coming financial year.

Following a 2019 Conservative Manifesto promise, the Wales’ agricultural and rural development budget was expected to have been £337 million, but the 2021-2022 budget will now be £242 million - a cut of around 28% - while the full loss when projected RDP spend and the 15% pillar transfer is taken into account is £137m.

The announcement came two days after the three devolved governments (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) wrote jointly to Defra Secretary George Eustice urging him to provide assurances that the budget for agriculture would be maintained, and almost a fortnight after FUW President Glyn Roberts wrote to Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart asking the same.

“The 2019 Conservative Manifesto stated ‘...we will guarantee the current annual budget to farmers in every year of the next Parliament’, thereby securing the votes of many farmers in Welsh constituencies,” said Mr Roberts.