PREVIEW

Farmers' voices are increasingly being heard across Europe, with protests spreading against rising costs and meeting various new environmental reforms. In Wales on Thursday evening (08/02/24) roughly a phenomenal 3,000 farmers attended to protest at Carmarthen Showground, Nantyci, congregating on mass in the cattle mart to show support, listen to speakers, including former international rugby referee, Nigel Owens MBE, and express their own personal concerns about the future of farming and what can be done to safeguard their livelihoods.

The Welsh government have been working on a new scheme, the Wales Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), to reward farmers “for responding to the climate and nature emergencies, as well as producing food in a sustainable way” (https://www.gov.wales/sustainable-farming-scheme-consultation) which is set to come in from 2025. However, a recent economic report into the proposed scheme published in 2023 suggests, if every farm participated, “it could result in a 10.8% reduction in livestock numbers and an 11% cut in labour on Welsh farms. NFU Cymru said this would be the equivalent of losing 5,500 jobs.”