The Welsh government must commit to a long-term funding plan or risk undermining farming’s future, NFU Cymru President Aled Jones will tell delegates at today’s annual conference.
His call comes as farmers across Wales prepare for the transition from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), which will replace direct subsidies with environmental and productivity goals.
Speaking at the NFU Cymru Conference in Llandrindod Wells, Mr Jones will urge the next Welsh government to introduce a multi-annual agriculture budget spanning the full term of the next Senedd after the 2026 election.
He will argue that such a commitment is vital to give farmers the confidence to plan and invest for the long term.
The plea follows the Welsh government’s draft budget announcement on Monday (3 November), confirming that funding for the upcoming SFS will remain at the same level as the BPS and other rural investment programmes.
NFU Cymru has welcomed that decision but says the next step must be a longer-term guarantee. Mr Jones will say: “We need a commitment to a long-term budget that provides stability to farming and helps to ensure [it] can continue to deliver for food, nature, climate and communities.”
He is expected to welcome the Deputy First Minister’s role in maintaining 2026 funding — £238 million for the universal layer and £102 million for the optional and collaborative layers — describing it as a positive step towards stability.
“We look to the next Welsh government to commit, as a minimum, to maintain the 70:30 split between the universal and the optional and collaborative layers,” he will say. “We are asking for the next government to deliver a multi-annual agriculture budget for the length of the next Senedd.”
Mr Jones will also argue that the overall budget must rise in line with inflation and reflect the ambition of Welsh farmers “to be world leaders in the production of climate-friendly food”, while helping rural communities and nature to thrive.
With the Caerphilly by-election marking what he called the official start of the 2026 Senedd campaign, Mr Jones will use the conference to outline NFU Cymru’s election manifesto priorities, first launched during Welsh Farming Week in June.
He will highlight the union’s call for a comprehensive farm-to-fork food strategy to strengthen domestic supply chains and food security, alongside a genuine TB eradication plan that delivers measurable progress for affected farmers.
Mr Jones will also advocate for a targeted, evidence-led approach to water quality regulation, ensuring that future policy is proportionate and science-based.
In addition, he will call for an independent review of regulation to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and ensure that Welsh farmers can compete fairly with their counterparts across the UK and overseas.
Mr Jones is also expected to reaffirm NFU Cymru’s opposition to the UK government’s proposed changes to inheritance tax reliefs, warning that the reforms would disproportionately affect family farms.
He will insist that the union “will not stop” pressing for mitigation measures and has urged the Chancellor to reconsider proposals put forward by independent experts.
The 2025 NFU Cymru Conference, held at the Metropole Hotel, brings together leading voices from across the agricultural and food industries.
The event is expected to set the tone for Welsh farming’s political agenda ahead of next year’s Senedd elections.
