The Welsh Conservatives have expressed concern over the Climate Change Committee's recommendations for agriculture in Wales, warning of potential risks to rural livelihoods and food security. Livestock farming is deeply tied to the identity and traditions of many rural communities and represents a stable and culturally ingrained income source for our rural communities. Transitioning to woodland creation and peatland restoration in the name of net-zero will devastate farms across Wales and result in financial instability, especially if the new ventures lack adequate support, funding, or market demand.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, Samuel Kurtz MS, has written to the Labour Rural Affairs Minister to seek urgent clarity on whether these devastating recommendations are being considered.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Samuel Kurtz MS, said:
“The Climate Change Committee’s proposal to cut Welsh livestock numbers by nearly 20% is a glaring example of out-of-touch policymaking that prioritises abstract net-zero targets over real livelihoods. It would devastate family farms, hollow out rural communities, and force us to rely on imported meat produced to lower environmental and welfare standards.
“Welsh farmers already operate on razor-thin margins and have gone to great lengths to meet environmental rules. Telling them to simply ‘diversify’ is not only unrealistic, it’s dismissive. Agriculture is the backbone of our rural economy, our food security, and our way of life. If the CCC’s approach is adopted by Labour, then it shows further contempt by them for those who work the land.”
