The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has called for the allocation of at least £450 million per year in protected funding for agriculture and rural development in Wales.
In its General Election manifesto, the union also called for farm incomes to be protected with a “fair funding formula” across the devolved nations.
It also called for an increase in research in all areas of agriculture and for this to be used to take a more scientific approach to policy making.
Key areas the FUW has highlighted include:
- Funding for the rural economy;
- Future proofing international trade, immigration and a level playing field at border control;
- Recognising and investing in agriculture’s contribution to climate recovery;
- Protecting livestock and welfare standards;
- Reforming public procurement and supply chains.
“Alongside improving efficiency and reducing costs, technological advancements are imperative if the UK is to meet domestic and global targets on climate change and feeding an ever-expanding population,” the FUW said.
“By 2050, we will need to produce 60% more food to feed an estimated 9.7 billion people. These responsibilities underline the real need for significant public investment into agricultural research, not just in lowland areas, but covering all types of UK farming.
“Commercially driven developments also have clear economic and environmental benefits.”
Policy
The FUW said both lowland and upland areas have a key role to play in producing food, and that policies that have reduced the agricultural viability of upland areas have been shown to have had little, and often “detrimental”, impacts on ecosystems.
“There needs to be an increase in funding for agricultural research into upland farming,
with a particular emphasis on upland crops, restoring pasture productivity, and transferring technology developed for lowland arable systems.
“While the private sector plays an increasingly important role in meeting the investment gap caused by cuts to public funding, the industry cannot be forced to rely on this unpredictable funding source.
“Research priorities and technological developments have naturally become profit driven, and this may not necessarily be in the overall public interest.”
