From
Taking Control: The Crisis in Farming
by Peter Midmore, Planet 128:

Even the most cynical observer of the Welsh rural scene must be compelled to admit that something is up with farming. The seemingly perennial crisis that affects agriculture has shifted up a notch in intensity. The elements are well-known. BSE continues to depress beef prices, although compensation for its effects have been reduced. Sterling's rise has boosted imports but also caused a collapse in both export prices and (because they are set in ecus) in the livestock subsidies that contribute significantly to overall Welsh farm income. However, though the effects of these are bad enough, the future seems worse. By refusing to compensate farmers, the government is in effect signalling its support for a radical reform of European agricultural policy, ultimately exposing farming to far more vigorous competition...

...The spontaneous nature of current farming protests may be the product of frustration with seemingly insurmountable difficulties, but it could also lead to a more imaginative development of solidarity.

That will require leadership from the farming community itself. Its organisations have been among the most vocal in emphasising the consequences of rural decline, but as the political appetite for protection of agriculture has faded they will increasingly become responsible for their own destiny. They deserve the support of the wider population, if only because what happens to them will have profound consequences for the landscape and environment of Wales, a crucial component of historical and cultural inheritance. But that support must be on the basis of a planned recovery, a consolidation of the economic position of farming in the context of complex and changing conditions. Failure to address this is the fundamental cause of the current crisis.