Another Royal Welsh Show has come and gone. The major talking point this year was the Welsh Government’s long-awaited (and in some circles, controversial) Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS).

After nearly six years of development, the scheme’s launch by Cabinet Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies just days before the show drew attention and reactions across the board. The general consensus? The SFS attempts a delicate balance: encouraging enough farmer participation while delivering real environmental outcomes. The “ready reckoner” tool, designed by government to help farmers assess their support levels, was welcomed as a practical and timely step.

Yet beneath the optimism, tension lingers. Many see the scheme as not ambitious enough to reverse Wales’s troubling biodiversity and species decline. Scrutiny continues – especially around the Welsh Government’s biodiversity Bill, which introduces targets and governance principles but, according to some, lacks urgency given how late it has entered Senedd proceedings.

Among farming circles, there’s uncertainty: will those who opt out of SFS still be required to meet biodiversity goals under the bill’s legislation? That question underscores a wider challenge – aligning food production with an environmental agenda that feels, at times, disconnected from the pressures farmers face on the ground.

Still, there are signs that farmers are getting the recognition they deserve when it comes to the challenges they face and the task at hand. In a discussion hosted by NFU Cymru, the Cabinet Secretary acknowledged the growing demands placed on farmers. His comments echo remarks made by Northern Ireland’s Minister Muir at last year’s Fields Good regenerative agriculture festival, who said never before have we asked so much of farmers and the land they work and steward. It’s a welcome shift in tone amongst the sometimes inflammatory discourse, with leaders recognising the complexity of managing land, livelihoods and legislation all at once.

Meanwhile, Senedd’s Environment, Trade and Rural Affairs (ETRA) Committee held a session on its food processing inquiry, sparking conversations around Welsh Government’s Food Vision. While the inquiry is defined by food processing, the potential for a revised Food Vision should be a much bigger, system-wide proposal. The ETRA Committee should remember this. To make effective policy recommendations that deliver what’s needed in the long-term, it must consider how food processing links to other parts of the food and farming system in Wales.

With an election looming, it’s highly likely we’ll see a refreshed Food Vision for Wales. Hopefully one that fully embraces the potential of food systems change to address the complex societal challenges we all face – from climate and nature to health and wellbeing.

Events like the Royal Welsh Show serve as more than just industry or policy roadshows – they’re meeting grounds for ideas, insight and shared ambition. From the future of farming to the future of food, the path ahead for Wales will rely on collective action, and the courage to bring bold, inclusive visions to life.