The continued supply of high-quality, affordable food must be a strategic priority for future agricultural policy designed in Wales, NFU Cymru will tell members of the Senedd.
The union will today (7 June) outline its key asks of the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, the most important piece of agricultural legislation to go through the Senedd in its 23 years of existence.
Ministers in Wales are planning to offer agricultural payments for work that enhances the environment.
But NFU Cymru believes the policy framework should instead focus on food security by enhancing Welsh farmers' ability to produce food.
On-farm productivity must also be improved by promoting growth in the the food and drink sector, which is Wales’ biggest employer.
The key asks are part of a week-long campaign of activities and events spearheaded by NFU Cymru to promote Welsh food and agriculture to politicians, stakeholders and the wider public.
The Celebration of Welsh Food & Farming Week, which commenced on Monday (6 June), will see events promoting positive messaging about Welsh agriculture.
Addressing MSs at the NFU Cymru reception on Tuesday, President Aled Jones will say the bill is set to "define Welsh farming for a generation to come".
"The bill presents us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to design, build and implement a comprehensive ‘farm to fork’ food and farming policy, conceived, born and bred in Wales."
NFU Cymru says the bill should also underpin the financial resilience of Wales' family farms and in so doing, sustaining rural communities, language, culture and heritage.
And future policy should maintain and enhance nature and the environment while also supporting the delivery of reaching net zero agriculture by 2040.
Mr Jones will say that access to safe, high quality, affordable food is "the most basic fundamental right for all people in society".
"A key objective of the bill must be to underpin the production of a stable supply of safe, high quality, affordable food," he will say.
"The bill must also include mechanisms to ensure levels of domestic food production are assessed, maintained and enhanced alongside climate, biodiversity and broader environmental objectives.
"This framework should deliver a comprehensive suite of outcomes that includes food security, incentivises on farm productivity and safeguards our rural communities and the Welsh language alongside a range of environmental outcomes.
"Each one of our MSs has a vital role to play in scrutinising, seeking to ensure that the bill can deliver for Wales."
