Abi Reader elected as new NFU Cymru President

Daniel Bevan - Editor

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NFU Cymru has elected dairy farmer Abi Reader as its new President, with livestock farmer Paul Williams of Nebo, Clwyd, chosen as the union’s new Deputy President.

The pair were elected at a meeting of NFU Cymru Council held in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday 20 January.

Abi Reader, a third-generation farmer, runs a mixed enterprise of dairy, sheep and arable at Goldsland Farm in Wenvoe, just outside Cardiff, in partnership with her parents and uncle.

Well known for her advocacy work promoting food and farming to the next generation, she is a co-founder of the Cows on Tour movement and regularly engages with schoolchildren both on farm visits and in classroom sessions.

A former NFU Cymru Wales Woman Farmer of the Year, she was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2019 for services to agriculture.

She first became involved with NFU Cymru in 2012, filling a vacancy for the position of Vice County Chair just six months later.

Since then, she has served as Glamorgan County Chair, Dairy Board Chair and, for the past four years, Deputy President.

She now replaces outgoing President Aled Jones, who decided not to stand for re-election.

Reader said: “I am honoured to have been elected as the new President of NFU Cymru by my farming peers.

“It is a huge responsibility leading our industry in a period of considerable change, but I am ambitious about the opportunities for Welsh agriculture in the years ahead.

“I’m also eager to build on the important work of our fantastic outgoing President Aled Jones and those who have gone before him.

“This year sees the implementation of the long-awaited Sustainable Farming Scheme.

“NFU Cymru has been at the forefront of the scheme design process in recent years and although the scheme has transformed considerably since its early iterations, we still think there is work to do.

“I am committed to working with Welsh Government and partners across the industry to fine-tune this scheme where we believe change is needed.

“In addition to the changing policy landscape, we also have considerable political change on the horizon with elections for the new look Senedd fast approaching.

“NFU Cymru is committed to working with the new Welsh Government and MSs across all parties to help realise our ambitions for Welsh farming and deliver the outcomes Welsh farmers need to drive their businesses forward.”

Supporting Reader in her new role is Paul Williams, who has been elected as Deputy President.

Williams farms beef and sheep at Cae Haidd, Nebo, near Llanrwst, in partnership with his wife Dwynwen and their three children.

An active NFU Cymru member for more than two decades, Williams previously served as Clwyd County Chairman and is widely known for his role in organising the high-profile protest outside the Senedd in 2023.

The demonstration, which involved the display of 5,500 pairs of wellington boots, symbolised industry opposition to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme framework as it stood at the time.

Williams said: “It is an honour to have been elected to this role within this great organisation.

“I can’t wait to work with Abi, the wider membership and NFU Cymru’s professional staff to deliver on the issues that matter most to farmers in Wales.

“As a father with children who are eager to pursue a career in farming themselves, I’m driven to ensure that the next generation is able to push this industry further forward.”

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