Welsh farmers have plenty to juggle at present and never has that been clearer than our recent NFU Cymru Council meeting in Cardiff.

NFU Cymru Council is made up of the Chairs of all of our sector boards and the Chairs and elected delegates from each of our 11 counties. The group meets regularly throughout the year and our most recent meeting had a packed agenda with a variety of speakers not only providing insight, but also giving us plenty of food for thought.

Among those to join us was Dame Nia Griffith MP, Under Parliamentary Secretary of State for Wales, who gave an address on UK Government’s priorities for Wales. Our members were very keen to question the Minister on the government’s budget announcement in October, which included controversial changes to inheritance tax rules – specifically around agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) – which stand to significantly impact Wales’ network of family farms. The Minister left the meeting in no doubt whatsoever about the strength of feeling from farmers in this room for her to report back to UK Treasury.

We also welcomed Dr David Llewellyn, the Lead Commissioner of the independent UK Farm Assurance Review. His visit was particularly timely given that the commissioners’ report was released earlier that day. Farm assurance schemes are important to the industry, as well as to our customers, so it was good to hear from the independent chair about the review and the next steps.

Later in the day, Dr Richard Irvine, Welsh Government Chief Veterinary Officer, joined us to provide a detailed update on the animal disease picture across Wales and Europe. The key theme to come out of that session was the importance of farmers remaining vigilant and practising good biosecurity to keep disease away from our farms; a message our representatives will cascade back to their counties. Members were also keen to highlight the importance of our borders being secure with sufficient controls in place to stop illegal imports entering the UK.

With our Council being held in Cardiff Bay we were pleased to welcome a number of MSs to Council so that we could discuss farming issues with party representatives from across the political spectrum. We are grateful to Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies MS; Plaid Cymru Rural Affairs spokesman Llyr Huws Gruffydd MS; Welsh Conservatives Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Peter Fox MS; and Welsh Liberal Democrats Leader Jane Dodds MS for giving up their time to join us.

At our Council we also receive reports from each of our sector board chairs which served to further outline the vast array of detailed issues affecting Welsh agriculture at present and the role that NFU Cymru is playing across a wide range of policy areas.

Future changes to Welsh agricultural policy mean it’s a complex, changing landscape for Welsh farmers, but I remain steadfast in my belief that we are stronger together and united we can navigate these challenges together.