The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) is looking forward to a busy virtual Royal Welsh Show week and is hosting a variety of webinars discussing rural housing, climate change, mental health and the future of digital connectivity for Wales.
Speaking ahead of the event, FUW president Glyn Roberts said: “We had hoped to be able to be at the showground in person this year, like many others.
The Royal Welsh show remains a pinnacle event in our farming calendar and whilst we can’t meet face to face, we are excited to discuss some of the most critical issues facing our industry virtually once again.
“I hope many of you will be able to join us for these events.”
In addition to the webinars, the union is also launching a lobbying tool through its website, allowing members and the public to write to their elected representatives highlighting their grave concerns about the Free Trade Agreement with Australia.
Tackling the rural housing crisis
The FUW wrote to the Welsh government twelve months ago calling for action to prevent an inevitable increase in pressure on rural housing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, since which the issue has become a reality and hit the national headlines.
The issue will be the subject of the union’s Tackling the Rural Housing Crisis webinar on July 12, at 7:00p.m via Zoom, which will also be shown on the Royal Welsh Show website on July 19, at 12:30p.m.
“Rural communities across the UK have been under pressure due to second home ownership and related effects for decades, especially in ‘honeypot’ areas such as National Parks, but the pandemic has accelerated the trend, causing rapid house-price inflation and placing rural houses even further beyond the financial reach of rural and agricultural communities,” said FUW president Glyn Roberts.
“We look forward to discussing the problems faced by communities in Wales and England and explore solutions that are more imaginative than simply building more houses,” concluded Roberts.
