David TC Davies is the Member of Parliament for Monmouth and the Secretary of State for Wales
They are a key pillar of rural life, keeping everyone fed and crucially provide around 50,000 people in Wales with a stable job.
Many of these people have grown up in this rural way of life and farming is in their DNA.
Gross agricultural output was worth around £2.1 billion to the Welsh economy in 2022 alone - and we all know how popular Welsh lamb and beef is!
That is why we should stand with farmers and why I support them at every opportunity.
WATCH NOW: Peaceful protest further highlights Welsh farmers' plight
The Conservatives have never taken our farmers for granted - and I have witnessed this time and time again since first being elected back in 1999.
In addition to ensuring Welsh lamb is now enjoyed in some of the world's fastest growing economies, the UK Government made a clear financial commitment to farmers in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, guaranteeing (that agricultural spending would remain at the same level as it had when we were in the EU.
Welsh Government
The annual budget for farming in Wales was kept at £337million. However whilst this funding is ringfenced for spending on agriculture, it is up to the Welsh Government how this funding is used.
And the difference in attitude between the Conservatives and Labour towards our farmers couldn't be starker.
In Wales, farmers are being treated with utter contempt.
Not only did Labour decide to prioritise spending over £100 million on creating more Senedd Members, only to then slash the rural affairs budget by over £30 million, but a Labour backbencher also outrageously called on dairy farmers to "find another business" if they're under TB restrictions.
This inflammatory remark from Labour demonstrates a total lack of empathy.
Sustainable Farming Scheme
But the final straw that could push countless Welsh farms off a cliff edge is Labour's disastrous Sustainable Farming Scheme.
It will mean farmers won't be able to access funding without significant strings attached: 20% of farming land must be forfeited for tree planting and wildlife habitation.
Whether that means 20% of our best and most agricultural land in Wales gets taken out of production doesn't seem to matter. Once again, Labour's approach is top-down, blanket rules. Just like their 20mph speed limit mandate.
Protecting our environment is important - but this cannot be achieved by driving Welsh farmers out of business and making us more reliant on food imports. The move would lead to a huge loss of income and inevitably to countless job losses. Should Welsh farmers disappear the repercussions would be severe.
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Íæż½ã½ã and I have warned the Labour Welsh Government of the dire consequences the policy would have for Monmouthshire and other rural areas in Wales - but ministers in Cardiff Bay refuse to budge.
And Labour's sheer arrogance has now left exasperated farmers with no choice but to organise protests outside the Welsh Parliament.
Labour party
This bleak future is exactly what is in store for farmers across the rest of Britain if Labour comes to power. To date, Sir Keir Starmer continues to hold up the Labour Welsh Government's policies as his "blueprint" that he would roll out across the rest of our country - despite the fact that countless farms are going to be driven out of business by his Welsh colleagues.
I will do my utmost to ensure Welsh farmers are heard by continuing to stand up and hold to account this incompetent Labour Welsh Government.
We must ensure that the farming sector, which is the backbone of the Welsh economy, receives the support it rightly deserves.
Let me be clear: under Conservatives you will have more choice, not less.
We're sticking to our plan in England, with new schemes which have no minimum entry requirements, and we wont be introducing any.
We want farmers to be able to choose what works best for their business.
Meanwhile the Labour party will always take you back to square one, with bureaucratic, top down rules and requirements.
It is vital that the Labour Welsh Government stops its constant attacks on our farmers - and a very good start would be dropping its Sustainable Farming Scheme.
LISTEN NOW: Wales' Rural Affairs Minister denies Sustainable Farming Scheme puts food security at risk. Chief reporter Rachael Brown interviews Lesly Griffiths
