First minister faces backlash from Welsh farming community
10th July 2025
The Welsh farming community has expressed its disappointment following a comment made by the first minister in the Senedd, that farming contributes “less than 1%” to Welsh GDP.
On Tuesday, 8th July, first minister of Wales Eluned Morgan was asked by Welsh Conservative shadow rural affairs secretary, Samuel Kurtz, how confident she was that the latest version of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) would not spark a large-scale protest at the Senedd.
The first minister said that the agricultural community needs to be supported, but added: “Boy, are they supported – £250 million of funding per annum.”
“That’s quite a big amount of support for a sector that contributes less than 1% to the GDP of the country,” she continued.
The SFS was originally delayed last year after widespread protests, largely around concerns about the 10% tree cover rule.
Welsh representative body CLA Cymru said this framing is “deeply misleading” and at best fails to reflect the foundational role agriculture plays across multiple sectors of the rural economy. At worst, it shows a deep misunderstanding of the rural economy.
Victoria Bond, director of CLA Cymru, said: “This statement risks undermining the months of constructive engagement between Welsh Government and rural stakeholders in developing the Sustainable Farming Scheme.”
Ms Bond added that the comment also reveals a lack of understanding about the structure of the Welsh rural economy.
“Farming may represent a modest proportion of direct GDP, but it is the bedrock of a wider supply chain worth billions. From food processing and exports to tourism and environmental delivery.
“If we reduce agriculture to a line on a GVA chart, we miss its vital function: sustaining 90% of our landscape, underpinning our food security, and delivering the raw materials and stewardship that so much of our national economy depends on.
“We urge all politicians, especially as we approach the 2026 election, to speak to the facts and to the full value of rural Wales,” she continued.
‘Hopelessly reductive’
Thomas Homfray, vice-chairman of CLA Cymru, added that assessing the sector’s value on the basis of GDP is “hopelessly reductive”.
“It’s a short-termist, superficial approach that has contributed to many of the crises we now face. It also directly contradicts the Welsh Government’s own curriculum, where my children have spent the year learning about the critical importance of food production and nature recovery.
“Does the first minister not see farming and the countryside as essential to the solution? Rural Wales is not a cost centre; it is a strategic asset that delivers value across all fronts.”
CLA Cymru is calling for cross-party recognition of the sector’s real-world contribution ahead of the Royal Welsh Show, where it will formally launch its rural manifesto ahead of the 2026 elections, called ‘This is rural’.
The manifesto includes six evidence-based asks to support the next Welsh Government in unlocking rural economic potential through farming, land use, housing, tourism, energy and digital infrastructure.
A route to the 74% of the electorate who are rural-based and the foundation for the next election.
READ MORE: Thousands of wellies on display at Senedd in protest of SFS policy proposals
READ MORE: Why did rural affairs minister refuse to talk about farmers’ SFS concerns?
‘We are the solution to your problem’
Welsh campaign group Digon YW Digon (Enough is Enough) said that the first minister should be “very careful” not to push the farming community too far.
They added: ‘Don’t underestimate the strength in the industry. We shall stand up for our previous generation that worked the land, fed the nation and protected the wildlife and habitat, and it’s our part to challenge your policy to protect the future.
‘We are the solution to your problem. You might need us more than we need you.’
‘Don’t kick the people that are already down’
Welsh sheep and beef farmer Gareth Wyn Jones also spoke out on social media: “Oh boy, oh boy, Eluned Morgan, I don’t think she really realises the importance of the agricultural sector in Wales, and what we mean to our culture, our language, our landscape, our climate and everything that surrounds it.
“Listening to that answer in the Senedd to Samuel Kurtz’s question really shows us that we’ve got no chance that SFS is going to work. It’s sad because this industry is already on its knees, emotionally, physically, mentally.
“And our first minister comes up with a comment like we are not even 1% of GDP, which I totally disagree with. I think we are at a lot more than 1%, and I think we keep everybody fed, and we protect our environment, we protect our countryside.
“Yes, all communities need support. Don’t kick the people that are already down. Take a little bit of advice, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
‘Farmers play an essential role in Wales’s economy’
Responding to the backlash, a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: “Farmers play an essential role in Wales’s economy, as the first minister has repeatedly made clear.
“They provide food, care for our environment, support rural communities and help protect the Welsh language.
“We look forward to making the final scheme announcement on the Sustainable Farming Scheme shortly.”
READ MORE: Farmers call for flexibility within SFS to avoid “irreversible damage”
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