AS 2026 approaches, it’s worth taking a moment to look back at 2025 – a year that brought significant developments for Welsh agriculture, alongside the familiar pressures that continue to shape daily life on family farms.
After years of conversations, confrontation and collaboration, the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) was finally announced this Summer. While the scheme is not without its flaws, it is a considerable improvement on where the process began. As a Union, the FUW welcomed the opportunity during autumn to engage with farmers through their Wales-wide SFS Roadshow, ensuring members had clear and practical information as they weighed up their options. With farmers now at a crossroads between entering the new SFS or opting for the tapered BPS, the FUW’s work is far from over. The FUW’s dedicated team of staff will work with their members as they aim to further understand, adapt to and navigate this new scheme as it moves from design to delivery.
However, 2025 was about far more than just the SFS. The year saw the continuation of the FUW’s efforts to lobby the UK government on their ill-thought-out changes to inheritance tax – a change that risks undermining the long-term future of family farms and rural communities. November’s Budget brought a small concession for family farms, yet many businesses still risk facing unaffordable tax bills to inherit the family business.
Meanwhile, the Bluetongue scare served as a sharp reminder of how quickly animal health threats and regulatory challenges can emerge, while ongoing pressures such as the rising cost of living, bovine TB and increasingly volatile weather continued to test the resilience of businesses.
There were some important areas of progress for farmers too. Notably, earlier this month saw the passing of new legislation to strengthen protections for farm animals against dog attacks. This long-overdue change marks a significant step forward, removing the previous £1,000 cap on fines for livestock worrying, allowing courts to impose unlimited penalties and granting police new powers to seize dogs believed to pose an ongoing threat to livestock.
However, the greatest success of all remains the quiet, constant achievement of Welsh farmers themselves. Despite mounting pressures, uncertainty and change, family farms have continued to do what they do best. They produce food to the highest standards, care for the land and sustain rural communities across Wales. That resilience, professionalism and commitment is the foundation of the industry and it deserves recognition as FUW looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities that 2026 will bring.
