Samuel Kurtz MS, Welsh Conservative MS for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: "This family farm tax threatens to force the sale of land just to pay the bill. It is reckless and short-sighted. If implemented, it would see Welsh family farms disappear, food prices rise, and rural communities hollowed out."
It is good to be back.
Returning to the rural affairs brief feels like slipping back into my favourite pair of work boots.
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I come back with the same deep sense of pride for an industry that has given me, and so many others, so much.
Scale of challenges facing Welsh farmers
But I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenges facing Welsh agriculture right now.
Farmers across Wales are under relentless pressure, and sadly, it seems the Labour Governments at either end of the M4 have turned their backs on the very backbone of our rural communities.
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At a time when farming needs a friend, I and the Welsh Conservatives stand ready to be just that.
In Wales, Labour, often propped up by Plaid Cymru, appears content to sacrifice food security, jobs, and rural livelihoods in the relentless pursuit of environmental policies that make little sense to those on the ground, and even less material difference to the global climate.
Standing up for rural communities
Yes, sustainability is important, no one disputes that, but not if it comes at the cost of the family farm, our rural way of life, and our ability to feed ourselves.
The balance must be struck, and right now, Labour is getting it badly wrong.
Inheritance Tax changes
Meanwhile, in London, the UK Labour Government's proposal to change Inheritance Tax rules amounts to a full-frontal assault on family farms.
This family farm tax threatens to force the sale of land just to pay the bill.
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It is reckless and short-sighted.
If implemented, it would see Welsh family farms disappear, food prices rise, and rural communities hollowed out.
This is no way to treat the very people who put food on our tables.
And things are no better in Cardiff Bay.
Sustainable Farming Scheme
The Welsh Government's botched Sustainable Farming Scheme is a masterclass in delay and confusion.
First consulted on back in 2018, it is now not due until 2026; eight years later.
We are just months from its supposed launch, yet farmers are still waiting for basic details: there's no final scheme, no budget, and no payment rates.
Once again, at a time when farming needs a friend, Labour delivers only chaos and contempt.
At the same time, our dairy and beef farmers are being squeezed by the rollout of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.
The rigid, calendar-driven approach to slurry spreading ignores the expertise of those who work the land.
It is a policy clearly written under the fluorescent lights of a Cardiff Bay office, not out in the fields with the people it affects.
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bovine TB
Perhaps most heartbreakingly of all is Labour's failure to get to grips with bovine TB, arguably the greatest agricultural policy failure in 26 years of devolution.
Year after year, thousands of cattle are culled under their watch, inflicting emotional and financial devastation on families, with no meaningful progress toward eradication.
And yet, despite all this, I remain constantly inspired by the resilience and determination of those who work in this industry.
SFS protests in Wales
When I stood alongside and spoke to the thousands of farmers protesting outside the Senedd, I saw frustration and anger.
But I also saw something more powerful: a dogged refusal to give in.
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Resilience of family farms
It is that same grit I see in my own farming friends and family, the quiet resolve to stand firm, even as others try to tear down what they have built.
Welsh food producers are among the very best in the world, renowned for quality, innovation, and some of the highest animal welfare standards anywhere.
Farmers deserve a Government that champions them, not undermines them.
And let's not forget: for every £1 invested in agriculture, £9 is returned to the wider economy.
Few sectors offer such value.
Role of farming in Wales
Farming is the silver thread that runs through the fabric of Wales, vital to our economy, central to our cultural heritage, a protector of our language, and a guardian of our natural landscape.
That's why, at every turn, the Welsh Conservatives will be that friend farming so desperately needs.
We will fight for policies that support rather than sabotage.
We will prioritise food security and rural prosperity.
And above all, we will listen.
Because for far too long, our farmers have been ignored.
Farming needs a friend. We are here, and we are ready.
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