Union spells out pressures on farms as costs for fuel and fertiliser rise
NFU Cymru has met with the deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs Huw Irranca-Davies to discuss the concerns of Welsh farmers over the availability and price of key inputs for food production in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East.
During the meeting on 7 April, NFU Cymru president Abi Reader and deputy president Paul Williams referred to information collected by the union from its members – farming across all sectors and areas of Wales – to highlight that there is significant disruption in the market, particularly in relation to the price and availability of fuel and fertiliser.
Reader and Williams highlighted that food production operates over long cycles running into months and even years for some sectors, so while many businesses may be managing now it could be a few weeks or months before the true impact of the war is felt.
Cashflow is a concern for many farms in Wales, it was highlighted, with significant costs coming now for fuel and fertiliser at the end of the costly winter period.
The union said it was pleased to receive reassurances that the Welsh Government is aware of the concerns of the industry and is in regular communication with counterparts on a UK government level and the other devolved nations.
Reader said: “We are grateful to the deputy first minister for meeting with us today to discuss a real range of challenges facing Welsh farmers brought on by the war in the Middle East.
“It was important that we were able to talk through the impacts sector by sector so that we could give the deputy first minister a full picture as to how different parts of the industry are being affected.
”We stressed the importance of Welsh Government actively modelling the impact of the disruption on food production and the need for government to closely and actively monitor input markets to give confidence that they are operating transparently.
“While this Senedd will shortly be dissolved and the Welsh Government enters the pre-election period, NFU Cymru will continues to have regular dialogue with both Welsh Government officials and the UK government through the Wales Office and our team in Westminster.”
