For farmers, auctioneers and processors in Wales, the next four years could look quite different.
Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) has published its new strategic action plan, Red Meat Industry Vision: Delivering Value for Wales, and while strategy documents can feel distant from daily farm life, this one is worth reading.
Underneath the strategy language, it comes down to money, markets and whether Welsh red meat can hold its ground.
It's published at a moment when the industry faces genuine pressures but also real opportunities in export markets and growing consumer interest in provenance. The plan is HCC's attempt to make sure the sector is positioned to make the most of both.
What HCC is setting out to do
The plan has three priorities.
The first is growing the volume and value of branded Welsh red meat sold. More PGI Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef in more markets, with a stronger case for premium pricing at home and abroad. For producers, branded sales with protected status remain one of the more reliable routes to better returns.
The second is sustainability, economic as much as environmental. HCC's focus is on leading initiatives that help the industry improve on both fronts. For most Welsh farms, that conversation is less about ticking boxes and more about whether the business is still viable in ten years.
The third is advocacy. Welsh red meat is caught between policy pressure, trade uncertainty and shifting consumer behaviour. HCC is committing to a more proactive, evidence-led voice on behalf of the industry, which matters when the decisions being made in Cardiff Bay or Westminster land directly on farm.
A plan built with the supply chain
Before publishing, HCC attended 16 livestock markets across Wales and gathered views from producers, processors and wider stakeholders. The ambition is bigger than HCC acting as a coordinator. The Vision is framed as a collective mission, with farmers, auctioneers, processors and the wider food sector all working toward a common purpose rather than waiting on the levy body to pull levers on their behalf.
CEO José Peralta has been clear that delivery will require genuine collaboration rather than HCC working in isolation. Whether that holds in practice will become clear over the coming months. The next step is a Business Plan detailing how each priority gets delivered. HCC has committed to taking it to the industry through stakeholder events across Wales in early summer, after the lambing period.
Worth watching
Chair Catherine Smith describes the Vision as "a blueprint to support and unite all elements of our sector and supply chain." Its success will depend on the level of collaboration and partnership achieved across the industry in Wales over the coming years.
Read the full Red Meat Industry Vision: Delivering Value for Wales here.
Find out more about HCC and their vision here.
