Plaid Cymru have outlined their party’s ambition to support Wales’ rural communities and farming communities after years of ‘piecemeal policies, urban-centric legislation, and a lack of vision for the countryside’.

Plaid candidate, Llyr Gruffydd, said his party would begin a new era of putting rural policy at the heart of Welsh Government, were they to be elected in May’s Senedd election.

He also criticised Labour’s record on supporting rural communities and said Reform UK would ‘take our countryside backwards’, explaining that only Plaid Cymru is serious about seeing all parts of Wales thrive.

Plaid Cymru’s plans include backing family farms, supporting young farmers and Welsh-owned businesses, cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, protecting productive farmland, strengthening the Sustainable Farming Scheme, and building a stronger Welsh food system with better access to markets.

Plaid Cymru has also outlined their plans to develop a new national Food Strategy for Wales to strengthen food supply chains, improve food security and make greater use of public procurement to support Welsh food and drink producers.

Llyr Gruffydd said: “For too long, rural Wales has been an afterthought for the Westminster parties. Here in Wales, the Labour Government in Wales has shown similar disregard, giving us piecemeal policies, urban-centric legislation, and a lack of vision for the countryside.

“Plaid Cymru says: enough is enough. It’s time for a rural reset - a new era of putting rural policy at the heart of Welsh Government.

“We are committed to protecting the Welsh farming budget and to providing longer-term financial security with a multi-year funding settlement. We will also commission a review to reduce the red tape that’s increasingly weighing our farmers down.

“To further support farming communities, Plaid Cymru will protect productive farmland and build a stronger Welsh food system by significantly ramping up the public procurement of Welsh food.

“Prosperity should not be postcode dependent, and under Plaid Cymru rural Wales will get a fairer share of jobs and investment with our national development agency being given a clear responsibility for rural economic development.

“My ambition is that my children have a future living and working in the rural communities that raised them - a future where rural Wales is not left behind but leads the way.

“Where Labour have long-given up on rural communities, and where Reform would take our countryside backwards, Plaid Cymru will leave rural Wales ignore no longer.