OUR reliance on and exposure to global fossil fuel markets has been exposed by the impacts of the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine, writes FUW president Glyn Roberts.

Energy production using fossil fuels is second only to business in terms of contributions to Wales’ greenhouse gas emissions, and is the second highest contributor in the UK after transport.

Members will also remember that in 2017 the Welsh Government announced a target of meeting 70 per cent of Wales’ electricity demand from Welsh renewable electricity sources by 2030.

By 2018, 50 per cent of the electricity consumed in Wales was generated from renewable energy sources which was up from 19 per cent in 2014 and 48 per cent in 2017.

Notably, the introduction of Feed in Tariffs (FITs) in 2010 played a central role in more than doubling renewable energy production in Wales from 2014 to 2017 by offering an incentive for farmers to invest in such production with a much reduced financial risk.

READ MORE: The farmers Union of Wales on COP27

With COP27 underway and the focus on renewable energy and reducing emissions, we must repeat our concern that the abolition of FITs in 2019 has led to a significant slowdown in on-farm investment into renewable energy sources.

This slow down has in turn weakened the environmental benefits associated with private initiatives and has had a negative impact on the momentum behind the Welsh Government’s 2030 target.

The removal of business rate relief for privately-owned hydropower projects has certainly served as a significant barrier to investment, while landscape designations such as the current proposals to designate the Cambrian Mountains as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and disproportionate regulations continue to block developments.

Whilst the FUW remains neutral in terms of the issue of large-scale wind farms, we fully support the development of appropriate on-farm renewable energy sources. We maintain that Welsh farms have a central role to play in reaching Welsh targets provided the correct support is available so that farmers can act with confidence today.

We are encouraging the Welsh Government to seek alternative and innovative ways in which funding can be provided in order to develop on-farm energy production. We must also identify those barriers to on-farm energy production which fall within the remit of the Welsh Government and seek to reduce bureaucratic burdens which add costs to proposed developments or even, due to the added financial and time costs, prevent such developments.

On a final thought this week, both the UK and Welsh Governments must step up efforts that restore growth in the industry by incentivising on-farm production of renewable energy without compromising food production and agricultural land.