A plea has been made for a “reset” of Wales’ farm policies to find solutions that work for farmers.

NFU Cymru says the appointment of Vaughan Gething comes at a critical time for Welsh agriculture.

Mr Gething, 50, was born in Zambia where his father, a Welsh vet, met his mother, a chicken farmer. He came to Britain aged two and later studied politics at Aberystwyth University.

In his new role as Wales’ first minister, NFU Cymru wants him to address a number of priorities in relation to farming.

It comes after a series of demonstrations by farmers, including high-profile protests outside the Senedd, against what they say are the Welsh Labour government’s anti-farming policies.

NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said events over the past few weeks had further highlighted the “high level of dissatisfaction” among farmers with the Welsh Government’s proposals for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), the future farm support scheme which will replace the CAP.

The union is asking Mr Gething to ensure the SFS includes a long-term stability mechanism, which it says is crucial to many farming businesses to underpin the resilience of food production in Wales.

NFU Cymru wants the minister to ensure that plans for Universal Actions in the SFS are “truly universal’’.

The 10% tree planting requirements must also be reviewed, it says, and a panel of scientists should be convened to assess alternatives.

Mr Jones said bovine TB continued to cause “untold heartache’’ to farming families and “devastation’’ to cattle herds across Wales.

“The fact that we are still seeing around 10,000 cattle slaughtered every year is not acceptable.”

NFU Cymru is asking Mr Gething to commit to reviewing the Welsh Government’s TB policy, to include a strategy which includes tackling the disease in wildlife.

The union also wants the first minister to review “unworkable’’ pan-Wales nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) regulations that are adding “exorbitant” costs to livestock and dairy farming businesses.

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The new first minister’s appointment is an opportunity to ‘reset’ some of these important issues, says Mr Jones.

“NFU Cymru is committed to working with the first minister and his cabinet to ensure that farming can continue to deliver multiple benefits for the people and communities of Wales.”

Shadow rural affairs minister Andrew RT Davies said he would be happy to work with Mr Gething to “make sure we change the Sustainable Farming Scheme”.

Mr Davies also urged the new first minister to scrap the default 20mph speed limit in rural parts of Wales.

An announcement has yet to be made on whether Lesley Griffiths will remain in post as Welsh rural affairs secretary.