News

Welsh farmers call for UK emergency fund amid ‘hardest summer in a generation’

10 Sep 2026 4 minute read

From left, FUW Senedd & Parliamentary Liaison Officer Lauren Price, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Wales Office Anna McMorrin MP, FUW President Ian Rickman, FUW Deputy President Dai Miles and FUW Head of Policy Gareth Parry.

Nation.Cymru staff

Welsh farming leaders have called for a dedicated UK-wide emergency fund to help farms hit by disease, fodder shortages and extreme weather.

A delegation from the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) made the call during talks with UK Government ministers at Westminster this week, amid growing concern about the financial pressures facing the agricultural sector.

Union officials met Wales Office minister Anna McMorrin before holding discussions with Defra ministers Stephen Morgan and Baroness Hayman of Ullock at the Home Office.

The FUW said it had pressed the case for greater UK-wide co-ordination in responding to wildfires, shortages of animal feed and outbreaks of disease.

Ahead of the UK Government’s forthcoming Budget, it also called for a dedicated emergency fund which could provide short-term financial support to farming businesses facing crises.

The intervention comes a day after National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw described 2026 as the “hardest summer for British farming in at least a generation”.

He warned that high and unpredictable costs, the bluetongue outbreak and drought had left farm confidence fragile and cash flow at “crisis point”.

The NFU has separately called on the UK Government to underwrite “crisis loans” for otherwise viable farms facing acute financial pressures.

The FUW delegation also raised the UK Government’s negotiations with the European Union over a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

Such an agreement could reduce some of the barriers affecting trade in animals, plants and food products between the UK and EU.

The union said it recognised the potential for an agreement to increase exports and improve market access for Welsh farmers, but raised concerns about possible changes to requirements including those governing livestock transport.

FUW president Ian Rickman said: “These meetings provided an important opportunity to put the concerns of Welsh farmers directly to UK Government ministers. Welsh farmers operate within a complex policy environment and decisions taken in Westminster on reserved matters such as trade, taxation and biosecurity have a direct impact on farming businesses in Wales.

“We are incredibly proud of the world-class standards upheld by Welsh farmers. As the government navigates shifting trade barriers and immediate disease threats, the voice of Welsh agriculture must not be side-lined.

“We need strong commitments and proactive strategies to keep our family farms secure. It was therefore reassuring to hear that DEFRA and the UK Government are seeking to ensure that our welfare standards are not undercut by ongoing and future trade negotiations.”

Investment

Mr Rickman said ministers had indicated that the union’s proposal for an emergency fund would be considered.

He said: “It was also positive to note that our call for a dedicated emergency fund to support farmers with immediate challenges will be explored.

“Any successful strategies to tackle issues such as wildfires, fodder shortages and disease control will require immediate and long-term investment, targeted at impacted farm businesses and bodies that play a key role in prevention and surveillance across the UK.

“We look forward to continuing this dialogue and working constructively to ensure that the interests of Welsh farming and our rural communities are consistently understood at a UK Government level.”

The calls come as farming organisations intensify pressure on ministers over the effects of this summer’s weather and disease outbreaks.

At an NFU event in Parliament on Wednesday, the UK Government’s Environment Secretary Angela Eagle acknowledged the pressures facing the industry and said the UK Government was taking action through a £65m support package, including measures to improve access to water, £15m for on-farm reservoirs and support in response to bluetongue.

She said that with a third of farmers reporting they made no profit, the Government had to consider “how to change that”, adding: “If we’re relying on farmers to put food on our tables, farming has to put money in the pockets of those who farm.”

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