Monday, July 22 to Thursday, July 25 sees the return of Europe’s largest agricultural show – the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells. For four days the agricultural stage will be filled with the world’s media, politicians from Cardiff Bay, Westminster and further afield, as well as well-known celebrities and more than 240,000 visitors and 8,000 animals that descend on the Llanelwedd showground for an occasion that celebrates the very best in Welsh agriculture.

NFU Cymru will once again be hosting a series of exciting events, including a number of specialist seminars with guest panellists First Minister of Wales, The Rt Hon Vaughan Gething MS and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS.

This year’s seminars will be held in the NFU Cymru/NFU Mutual marquee at the rear of the NFU Cymru building (492-E), situated next to the main ring, with topics to be discussed including the Sustainable Farming Scheme, regulation, and sustainable food production.

The series of seminars begins on Monday, July 22 at 11am with the first seminar titled ‘Setting the Scene’. The panel includes (Chair) Aled Jones, NFU Cymru President; First Minister of Wales The Rt Hon Vaughan Gething MS; Tom Bradshaw NFU President.

Later that day, 2pm Monday, July 22, NFU Cymru’s seminar ‘Is regulation holding back Welsh farming’ will take place in the NFU Cymru/NFU Mutual marquee. Speakers will include (Chair) Abi Reader, NFU Cymru Deputy President; Roger Lewis, dairy farmer and Chair of the NFU Cymru TB Task & Finish Group; Martin Griffiths, dairy farmer and Chair of NFU Cymru Water Quality Review Group; Kate Miles, DPJ Foundation Charity Manager; Stella Owen, NFU Cymru Brecon & Radnor and Monmouthshire County Adviser.

Tuesday, July 23 will see the seminar kick off at 11am. The discussion will be ‘Sustainable Farming Scheme - Where are we now?’. Speakers include (Chair) Aled Jones, NFU Cymru President and Huw Irranca-Davies, MS, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs.

On Wednesday, July 24 at 11am there will be an exciting line-up for the ‘Sustainable Welsh Food Production’ seminar. Speakers for this seminar include (Chair) Rob Lewis, NFU Cymru Livestock Board Chairman; Andrew Hogley, British Wool Chief Executive Officer; Christina Marley, Reader of Sustainable Grassland Systems and Agri-Food and leads the Agricultural Systems Research Group at IBERS; Dr Julie Finch, Kepak Agriculture

Governance & Compliance Manager; Mark Grant, Food and Drink Wales Sustainability Cluster Lead Associate Director; Ed Swan, NFU Cymru member

As usual, we will also have the presentation of this year’s Gareth Raw Rees Scholarship on Tuesday, July 23 at 12.30pm, as well as we presentation of the NFU Cymru/NFU Mutual Wales Woman Farmer of the Year award on Thursday,July 25 at 11am.

NFU Cymru is also proud to again be sponsoring the Wales YFC Rugby 7s and Tug of War competitions. The events will take place in the main cattle ring throughout the week with receptions being held at the NFU Cymru stand for players, families and friends as well as NFU Cymru and YFC members.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to one and all to the NFU Cymru stand, I am looking forward to meeting with members, politicians and stakeholders once again. Please do come along for refreshments and to speak with the staff and officeholders who will be on the stand all week.