The Farmers’ Union of Wales has warned that food security and farm profitability must be treated together as it raised concerns in Westminster over the impact of global instability on UK agriculture.

FUW President Ian Rickman and Deputy President Dai Miles met Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Dame Angela Eagle MP, alongside Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin MP.

During the meeting, the union highlighted the pressures being placed on farming by ongoing international tensions, particularly in the Middle East and Gulf region, including rising input costs and challenges to the resilience of food supply chains.

The FUW emphasised that the conflict has significantly increased pressure on key agricultural inputs and energy costs. Since its escalation, fertiliser prices - particularly urea and ammonium nitrate - have risen by 20 per cent to 30 per cent, with the Union calling for greater transparency around fertiliser stocks and distribution across the UK.

At the same time, fuel costs have also risen sharply, with red diesel effectively doubling in price. More broadly, agricultural fuel and energy costs across the sector continue to increase, placing additional pressure on farm businesses already operating on tight margins.

These combined rises are feeding through the entire food supply chain, increasing costs for production, transport, processing and manufacturing, and are expected to contribute further to food price inflation.

The FUW reiterated its call for a UK-wide legislative food security metric to be taken forward by the next Welsh Government in collaboration with the UK Government, in order to strengthen the resilience of domestic food systems.

The Union stressed that food security is a cross-UK issue, affecting all four nations through closely integrated agri-food supply chains. It said a coordinated, long-term approach is essential, reflecting recommendations by Baroness Batters for a Great Britain-wide agricultural partnership.

The FUW also referenced recent government evidence, including Defra’s 2024 Food Security Report and its 2025 national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. These highlight long-term risks to food production, including climate change, nature decline, animal and plant disease pressures, supply chain disruption and exposure to volatile global markets.

Commenting following the meeting, FUW President Ian Rickman said: “We welcomed the opportunity to meet Minister Eagle and Minister McMorrin, and highlight the continued impact of recent global instability on Welsh farmers.

Food security is national security, and recent global instability has made that clearer than ever. Farmers are facing surging cost pressures, particularly from fertilisers and sharply rising fuel costs such as red diesel, which in some cases have doubled.

“These are forces far beyond their control, yet they directly threaten the resilience of our food system. We urgently need a coordinated UK-wide approach that recognises the strategic importance of domestic food production and reduces our exposure to volatile international markets.”

“With that must come regular and meaningful engagement between Defra and agricultural stakeholders across the UK - including the FUW - particularly on policy areas that remain reserved to the UK Government,” he added.