The vast majority of people support the Welsh government in providing more financial support to help farmers produce food, a new survey says.
The findings of a new NFU Cymru-commissioned survey have revealed high support for public spending on farming.
It follows emergency cuts to Wales' rural affairs budget, which was called 'a significant blow' to farmers during a time of policy transition and financial pressures.
The poll of over 1,000 adults, conducted by YouGov, found that 82% support the Welsh government providing financial support to farmers to produce food.
When taking into account the government’s priorities, 72% said that supporting Welsh farmers was a good use of public spending.
Public backing remains high in the Cardiff and South Central region, a predominantly urban area with a large population.
Support for food production there sits at 86%, and funding for farming being seen as a good use of public spending (76%) were higher than the all-Wales figures.
Elsewhere, three quarters of adults (74%) view food produced in Wales as high quality, while two thirds (66%) say the amount of locally produced food in the public sector should be increased.
The data also showed that 67% of people want UK food production to be as self-sufficient as possible and, of those who do, 70% think Wales can play a leading role (20%) or have a major role (50%) to play in self-sufficiency.
NFU Cymru President Aled Jones said it was 'crucial' for the Welsh government to 'listen to the resounding voice' of the Welsh public.
He added that people across Wales wanted to see the Welsh farming sector better supported to produce food, alongside other benefits.
“Welsh government’s budget reprioritisation statement last month was a stark warning as to the deficit it is facing in this financial year, as well as the ongoing challenge that it will face in setting its future budgets across its portfolios in the coming years.
“In its frequent engagement with Welsh government Cabinet Ministers and MSs, NFU Cymru is told that the union must demonstrate the value of farming not only to government, but also to the taxpayer.
"I am, therefore, delighted that our recently-commissioned survey has showed the high levels of backing amongst the public for support for Welsh agriculture and, in particular, financially supporting farmers to produce food."
