In his New Year message, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones has focussed on some of the key issues that NFU Cymru has dealt with over the past 12 months, whilst looking forward to what will be a seismic year for politics in Wales with the country going to the polls in early May.

“Over the past 14 months farming families across Wales have been thrown into turmoil by the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and inheritance tax (IHT). NFU Cymru has been tireless in its efforts to amend these proposals, with a consistent drumbeat of high-profile campaigning for over a year, culminating in the ‘NO IHT’ mosaic display message at the Winter Fair on the eve of this year’s budget. At the beginning of the year, I also had the responsibility of delivering our Stop the Family Farm Tax Petition to No. 10 Downing Street with over a quarter of a million signatures.

“Whilst I welcome the limited changes announced by the Chancellor in November’s budget, allowing for the spousal transfer of the IHT allowance, this change will only help a limited number of farmers and fails to mitigate the crippling effects of the changes on the elderly and the terminally ill.

“It is for these farmers, the most vulnerable in our communities, that we must continue to fight and I urge the UK Government to do the right thing - protect the most vulnerable in society and remove the anti-forestalling clause from the Finance Bill as it makes its way through Parliament in the coming weeks.

“In July, Welsh Government published detailed information and payment rates for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). In the past few days Welsh Government has published the guidance documents for the scheme, eight years in the making, that will become a reality from the 1st January 2026.

“It is important to remember the changes that have been secured since Welsh Government published its initial proposals. Over the past 18 months our work has helped secure positive changes to the SFS including the removal of the 10% tree cover requirements and a reduction in the number of universal actions from 17 to 12.

“Crucially the budget for farming has been maintained at £340 million and the introduction of a social value payment within the universal layer of the scheme recognises the wider benefits Welsh farming provides to society, ensuring the SFS can provide much needed stability to our family farms.

“Whilst NFU Cymru is supportive of the general framework of the SFS, there remains much work to do. My message to this government and the next is that there must be a commitment to continue to evolve the scheme so that it can support a productive, progressive and profitable farming sector in Wales.

“As we enter a year of political change, I call on politicians of all parties to work with us to help provide the policy and regulatory conditions to ensure that our farming families the length and breadth of Wales can continue to do what they do best: producing world leading healthy and nutritious food whilst delivering for our environment, climate, economy our culture and language,” said Mr Jones