Deputy Welsh First Minister and Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies met a delegation of the farmers and spoke to the farming unions.
Sir Keir did not meet the protesters, or refer to them in his speech, stressing that he would “defend our decisions in the Budget all-day long”.
He told the conference: “I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality, defend tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy, and I will defend protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales, finally turning the page on austerity – once and for all.”
The prime minister said the time was “long overdue for Westminster politicians to level with people, honestly, about the trade-offs that Britain faces”.
Politicians had to “stop insulting your intelligence with the chicanery of easy answers, when that is exactly how we got into this mess in the first place”, he said.
“It’s hard, of course it is hard,” he added.
