'They making it up as they go along and showing contempt to rural Wales'

“For as long as there is humanity, there will be agriculture” – those are the words of one of Wales’s greatest modern-day poets, Dic Jones – himself a farmer – and a sentiment shared by all of us who care about the future of farming.

A sentiment, it seems, which is lost on the Labour party currently sitting in parliaments at both ends of the M4 and who appear increasingly out of touch with the needs and challenges of rural life.

My constituency of Ynys Môn is home to hundreds of farms, many run by the same family for generations, their lives and the land intertwined. I speak to these farmers every week and hear their fears for the future, and it saddens and angers me that the Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan cannot seem to say the same.

As someone who claims to have spent her first weeks in office ‘listening to the people’, the pleas of the agricultural community not to pursue policies which pose an existential threat to their way of life are clearly being ignored.

The ill-thought through Sustainable Farming Scheme, controversial NVZ regulations, inaction over TB, the risk posed to food security, and now the punitive inheritance tax policy shows that Labour are desperately ignorant when it comes to the critical role farmers play in feeding the population.

UK Government also appear to be confirming that agriculture funding under Labour will be distributed according to the Barnett formula. Not only is Barnett way out of date, but the nature of agriculture in Wales compared with England means that applying Barnett could lead to a cut of as much as 40% in funding for Wales. This is of serious concern. I asked the Secretary of Wales in a meeting this week for clarification.

Back in May, the Labour Welsh Government finally listened to the agricultural community and Plaid Cymru’s calls to delay the SFS by a year to reflect the following; a greater recognition of the social value of farming, including a financial recognition going beyond the costs incurred and income forgone model, a stronger focus on food production and a scrapping of the 10% mandatory tree cover requirements, along with greater engagement with the sector as the detail of specific changes are develop.

With an update due from the Minister for Rural Affairs on 25 November it remains to be seen whether the Welsh Government can prove themselves capable of listening, not just lecturing the sector.

Similarly, Plaid Cymru is making the case for the Welsh and UK Labour Governments to take the issue of food security more seriously. Increasing global instability makes it more important than ever that we have the resources and resilience to feed ourselves. That’s why my party will continue to promote opportunities to develop local processing capacity and use procurement policy to shorten supply chains, cut food miles and create local jobs.

Wales and the rest of the UK produces some of the highest-quality food in the world and my mission as First Minister would be to make sure we’re able to tap into new markets and better promote our goods around the world through a new Welsh Development Agency.

Finally, the new inheritance tax policy must be scrapped. It is ironic that the chess-playing Chancellor is incapable of seeing several steps ahead in this regard. The fact that we could be witnessing the end of the line for many family farms is unforgiveable and utterly counter-productive as we strive for more sustainable food production. We know that farmers are key allies in the fight against climate change, but Labour seem intent on making enemies.

As my colleague Llyr Gruffydd has rightly pointed out, the Labour Welsh government can’t have it both ways. When asked how many Welsh farms would be impacted, they referred the query to the Treasury who in turn said that they don’t hold any ‘regional’ figures. And yet the First Minister says only a small proportion of farmers will be affected. Not only are they making it up as they go along but they’re also showing a level of contempt to rural Wales which will only feed further resentment.

The First Minister’s recent comments that farmers should “calm down” about the inheritance tax changes were as astonishing as they were insulting. That’s why Wales needs a new government which truly understands rural life and its importance to the nation’s health and security.

Plaid Cymru is a party that looks to represent all of Wales and we reject any attempts to divide us or pitch urban against rural areas. We will seek justice for some of our poorest communities, fight for jobs and opportunity, and support the many sectors that make economic and social contributions to our nation’s wellbeing. That includes steel, and it includes farming. We must stand together.

Between now and the Senedd Election in May 2026, I am determined that Plaid Cymru will continue to bring pressure on Labour to deliver a better deal for farmers, and ensure that the words of Dic Jones remain a truism for many generations to come.