The future of farming in Wales is not vegan -- and here’s why

Daniel James

Dr Carys Bennett’s recent article argues that animal agriculture must disappear from Wales and that the future is entirely vegan. While the piece raises concerns worth addressing, it collapses under the weight of over-simplification, selective evidence, and disregard for Wales’s land, culture, and economy.

A more realistic, balanced future is possible...but it is not vegan.

Bennett cites exposés of poor conditions as though they represent th§e norm. They don’t. The vast majority of Welsh farmers follow strict regulations on welfare, are inspected regularly, and work with vets and auditors. When "abuses" occur, the answer is stronger enforcement and transparency, not the abolition of farming altogether.

Much of Wales is steep, wet, acidic upland. This land cannot grow soy, cereals, or vegetables efficiently, but it can support grazing animals that turn inedible grass into high-quality protein. To demand vegan farming everywhere is to ignore the basic geography and soil science of our country. Removing animals from these landscapes would render vast areas agriculturally useless.

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Caretakers

For centuries, Welsh farmers have been more than food producers; they have been caretakers of our landscapes. The hedgerows, stone walls, and patchwork fields that define Wales are the result of generations of livestock management. Remove animals, and the countryside doesn’t “rewild” into paradise — it grows over into scrubland, losing wildflowers, pollinators, and birdlife. Vegan ideology claims to protect nature while in reality, proposing to dismantle the very system that has maintained it.

Yes, livestock produce emissions. But permanent pastures also store carbon, protect soils, and support biodiversity. Replacing them wholesale with tree plantations or arable crops risks unintended consequences: wildfire risks, water mismanagement, and biodiversity loss. The future of climate policy isn’t about abolishing animals, it’s about smarter land management, mixed farming, and reduced waste.

The economics of abolishing animal agriculture in Wales are stark. Livestock accounts for a huge majority of Welsh agricultural output, particularly beef and lamb. Take that away, and thousands of farms become unviable overnight. Suggesting that all those farmers can simply pivot to vegetables or niche crops ignores reality. Wales does not have the fertile expanses of East Anglia. Force through veganism, and we won’t eat more “Welsh vegetables” — we’ll import food from overseas, often from countries with weaker welfare and higher emissions. That isn’t ethical; it’s outsourcing guilt.

Processed meats eaten in excess are harmful. But moderate consumption of meat and dairy, especially grass-fed, supplies nutrients (protein, B12, iron, calcium) that plant-based diets often require supplementation to replace. A “one-size-fits-all” vegan prescription ignores cultural realities and the needs of children, elderly people, and lower-income families. The vegan claim that supplements and imported substitutes are somehow more “natural” or “healthy” than local lamb or milk collapses on inspection.

Traditions

Farming is not just about food — it sustains rural economies, communities, and traditions. Livestock farming is woven into Welsh history and landscapes. Shutting it down would devastate rural Wales, depopulate villages, and erase a cultural identity. A transition must protect livelihoods, not destroy them.

This is the blind spot of vegan ideology: it reduces food to a moral checkbox, ignoring the people who produce it and the culture it sustains. Vegan campaigners may talk about compassion, but their vision is ruthlessly uncompassionate toward farming families, rural communities, and cultural heritage. The “vegan future” is a cultural erasure, replacing centuries of Welsh identity with imported soy patties and almond milk. That isn’t progress; it’s cultural vandalism.

The future of farming in Wales is not vegan, but it is changing. That future looks like...

High-welfare standards and stricter enforcement of regulations.

Agroecological systems where animals and crops support each other.

Diversification into horticulture, renewable energy, and rewilding where land is suitable.

Encouraging moderation, not elimination, in diets shifting from intensive, processed meats toward local, pasture-raised products.

This is how Wales can cut emissions, protect health, and safeguard its communities without indulging in the fantasy of a “vegan nation.”

Dr Bennett’s argument is not a roadmap for Welsh farming; it’s an ideology dressed up as inevitability. It dismisses the science of land capability, the culture of our rural communities, and the livelihoods of thousands of families who steward this landscape every day. Wales deserves thoughtful solutions rooted in evidence and practicality, not narrow, politically driven manifestos that ignore reality. The future of farming here will be built by farmers and communities working with nature... not dictated by campaign slogans and weak propaganda.