Plaid Cymru has moved to set out its new governing team after winning the Welsh election, with Llyr Gruffydd appointed cabinet minister for rural resilience and sustainability by First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth.
The appointment places agriculture, food production and rural policy at the centre of the new administration’s agenda following a historic shift in the Senedd, which saw Welsh Labour lose its position as the largest party for the first time since devolution.
NFU Cymru welcomed the appointment and said it looked forward to working closely with the new minister on long-standing sector priorities.
NFU Cymru president Abi Reader said: “We offer our congratulations to both Rhun ap Iorwerth on becoming Wales new First Minister and to Llyr Gruffydd on his appointment as cabinet minister.”
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She added: “Plaid Cymru’s election manifesto contains several commitments that align very closely with a number of the key policy asks in NFU Cymru’s own Senedd Elections manifesto.”
Ms Reader said Gruffydd brought 'a wealth of experience and understanding of the sector to this role at a critical time for the industry'.
“NFU Cymru has worked closely with Llyr in his capacity as Plaid Cymru’s shadow rural affairs spokesperson for a number of years,” she said.
“We congratulate Llyr Gruffydd on his appointment and we look forward to continuing our positive working relationship in his new capacity, working together to deliver on those shared areas of ambition for the benefit of Welsh farmers and rural Wales.”
She added that backing Welsh agriculture will deliver wider economic benefits, pointing to the food and drink sector as 'one of this country’s finest assets', with turnover exceeding £10 billion annually.
Ms Reader also urged the new government to prioritise a ring-fenced agricultural budget and said: “It’s imperative that this new budget is adjusted for inflation and maintains the 70:30 split between the universal and optional and collaborative layers of the Sustainable Farming Scheme, providing vital stability to Welsh farming.”
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