Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts has accused Labour of overlooking the struggles of Welsh farmers.

She did so at a meeting representatives from farming unions at a mass-rally in Westminster.

Mrs Saville Roberts said: “Welsh farmers are fed up. Labour in both Westminster and Cardiff Bay continue to overlook the struggles of family farms, treating them as an afterthought.

“The recent fiasco over Agricultural Property Relief (APR) is a perfect example – no consultation, no understanding, just decisions made with a broad brush from a distance.

“It isn’t just APR. Labour’s plan to direct Welsh agricultural funding through the Barnett formula rather than through a ring-fenced addition could slash farm funding by 40 per cent.

“These policies reflect a stereotype in Labour’s imagination of farmers as mega-wealthy landowners who buy up land to avoid paying inheritance tax. When it comes to Wales, that isn’t just wrong – it’s insulting.

“Most upland farmers in Wales barely scrape by on £18,600 a year, far below the average salary, while working far beyond the typical 40-hour week.

“The chancellor’s error was not to increase taxes on wealthy landowners who use farmland to dodge taxes – most people wouldn’t have a problem with that.

“Her mistake was failing to distinguish between these individuals and real, hardworking family farms. This failure has resulted in the fiasco where government departments contradict each other on how many farms will be affected.

“Farmers deserve governments that see Welsh farmers for what they are: hardworking, underappreciated, and essential to our rural communities.

“Plaid Cymru will always appreciate the importance of family farms for our rural economy, for food security, and for Wales’ future.”