Extreme weather and its impact on Welsh food security

Description

lease read briefing document for full information. The aim of this work is to produce an independent report that explores the economic impact of climate-induced extreme weather events on Welsh agriculture that can be presented to Welsh Government and other relevant decision makers. We would like the report to highlight the potential of sustainable farming techniques to help Welsh farms mitigate and adapt. Research from WWF Scotland highlighted that extreme weather in 2017-18 alone cost Scottish farmers £161 million due to livestock losses and lower crop yields. We would like a similar analysis undertaken for Welsh farming. This report will be used to help influence the detail of Welsh Government's upcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme, highlighting the risks Welsh agriculture faces if transformative change is not delivered through the Sustainable Farming Scheme. A wider aim of the work is to challenge the perception that the most important aspect of food security is food production alone, especially when the bulk of Welsh production does not serve the Welsh market. Instead, food production's reliance on resilient ecosystems is a core message of our wider advocacy work that we hope this report will support.