Support for Farming

6. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the farming sector in Wales.

Farming is central to Wales’s economy and rural communities, and we are steadfast in our support for farmers. That is why I regularly meet and speak to farmers and their unions, visiting farms and agricultural shows across the country, including the Royal Welsh show this summer.

The Prime Minister said yesterday that he would give back control to people over their destinies. The best way he could do that for farmers in Wales and across the United Kingdom is to reverse the family farm tax. Will the ministerial team advocate for that?

We are listening closely to farmers, as we always have. We have announced more to protect family farms. We have changed the allowance for the 100% rate of relief, increasing it from £1 million to £2.5 million. That gets the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances and funding our public services.

12. Farmers in Wales are suffering the dire consequences of drought, topped off by the horrific wildfires we had in south Wales and across the Monmouthshire borders in recent weeks. I am extremely grateful to the Prime Minister for sending troops to help the amazing fire service, including to Blaenavon. At this difficult time, will the Minister update me on how the UK Government are supporting our farmers?

I thank my hon. Friend for her important question. She is absolutely right: these are challenging times right across the country. Wildfires are a stark reminder for us to take care of our environment as we face the ongoing challenges of our changing climate, and we need to mitigate the effects of more summers like this. Most importantly, I want to pay a huge tribute to our incredible fire and rescue services, our police and our military for putting their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.