Live updates as farmers put thousands of pairs of empty wellies on steps of the Senedd

Thousands of pairs of empty wellies have been put on the steps of the Senedd to show the impact Welsh Government proposals could have on the industry. The move, organised by the NFU Cymru, marks the 5,500 direct job losses which the Welsh Government has admitted could come if their own funding policy goes through.

People from across the country have donated boots to show the scale of the impact changes could have. NFU Cymru say the symbolic display of depicts the projected job losses based on 100% take up of the scheme, according to the Welsh Government’s own impact assessment.

Last week, thousands of farmers attended at a rally at the Senedd and speeches were made by farmers, politicians, unions and representatives all impacted by changes to the industries. You can catch up on that here.

The main current issue is the ongoing discussion about the Welsh Government's proposal to replace EU funding with a sustainable farming scheme. One controversial requirement will be for farmers to use 10% of their land for trees to be planted, something many farmers say will make their businesses unviable. There are concerns the Welsh Government is not listening to concerns. The Welsh Government say they are consulting on the scheme and will only make decisions once the consultation has closed on March 8 and say they have already changed proposals based on feedback.

There are also concerns about the Welsh Government's bovine TB policy, the impact you can read about here in this heartbreaking tale of the family farm where 600 cows were killed. Other major issues include food prices, and the impact of water pollution rules.

You can read live updates from today's protest here: